Re: Mac OS X 10.1 Dock Menu Description and APIs
Re: Mac OS X 10.1 Dock Menu Description and APIs
- Subject: Re: Mac OS X 10.1 Dock Menu Description and APIs
- From: "l.m.orchard" <email@hidden>
- Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2001 00:51:31 -0400
On Wednesday, August 15, 2001, at 06:41 PM, email@hidden wrote:
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System-menus/docklets are nice in that the users can gain quicker/more
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convenient access to frequently visited features. e.g. while at Motorola,
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we often measured user tasks in terms of how many "taps" (taps of the
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stylus) it would take to do something. Global system widgets were used to
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reduce the number of taps for the most common tasks.
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Another way to view it is that Services potentially share themselves
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across
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all running applications whereas docklets/system-menus typically target a
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single application.
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And I've been wondering if there's not some better way to present Services.
I mean, I'm in Mail right now, and to get to my thesaurus or my URL
download service, I have to click Mail -> Services -> Downloader -> Get
URL. Four levels deep. Yuck. How about a more prominent placement on
the menu bar, or even on the dock. Maybe some more contextual menus?
I'm thinking that Services can be an amazing system once more apps start
implementing them, but if they're buried that deep in the UI, my Mom will
never use them. Hell, even the word "Services" would keep my Mom from
even clicking on that menu option. Yeah, yeah, I know there are keyboard
shortcuts, but there aren't that many to use, and you have to have
explored and memorized your available services first.
--
Leslie Michael Orchard <email@hidden>
ICQ: 492905 (home) 11082089 (work)
"...see you space cowboy..."