[kepler-dev] DataSource Icon troubles

Fri Feb 3 07:58:51 PST 2006

See my other response to Kevin.  If we start to differentiate too much, then
we get way too many symbols.  Again, we are trying to find a balance here
and just laying a baseline.  And workflow creators will have the option to
add their own symbols if they feel strongly about using something different.
At that point because we are offering this flexibility we won't be able to
control consistency like we might want to.  The goal here is to offer a
general set of symbols that are easily recognizable and or learnable as a
baseline.  I suspect most users won't vary from the general symbols but will
add more specialized symbols to their domains or ones in which they feel
don't fit into the general categories offered.

Laura L. Downey
Senior Usability Engineer
LTER Network Office
Department of Biology, MSC03 2020
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM  87131-0001
505.277.3157 office
505.610.9657 mobile
505.277-2541 fax
ldowney at lternet.edu

-----Original Message-----
From: Shawn Bowers [mailto:sbowers at ucdavis.edu] 
Sent: Friday, February 03, 2006 8:53 AM
To: Laura L. Downey
Cc: 'Shawn Bowers'; 'Matthew Brooke'; Kepler-dev at ecoinformatics.org
Subject: RE: [kepler-dev] DataSource Icon troubles

Aren't we overloading the file folder icon though?

-shawn

On Fri, 3 Feb 2006, Laura L. Downey wrote:

> Keeping the file folder maintains some of the current symbology to ease
the
> transition, and also no one previously voiced any problem with its current
> use.  Also during training and basic testing, none of the users have
> reported any issue with a file folder representing data.
>
> For many people the cylinder shape implies specifically a database.
>
> Laura L. Downey
> Senior Usability Engineer
> LTER Network Office
> Department of Biology, MSC03 2020
> 1 University of New Mexico
> Albuquerque, NM  87131-0001
> 505.277.3157 office
> 505.610.9657 mobile
> 505.277-2541 fax
> ldowney at lternet.edu
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Shawn Bowers [mailto:sbowers at ucdavis.edu]
> Sent: Thursday, February 02, 2006 7:12 PM
> To: Matthew Brooke
> Cc: Laura L. Downey; Kepler-dev at ecoinformatics.org
> Subject: Re: [kepler-dev] DataSource Icon troubles
>
>
> Just out of curiosity -- why not choose a more natural icon
> for data instead of a file-folder? The more traditional
> icon is a cylinder shape.
>
> I've never really understood the reason for having a file
> folder represent data ...
>
> I think a dark outline would make it easier to see ... but
> you'll probably have to play around with it and different
> colors.
>
> -shawn
>
> Matthew Brooke wrote:
> >
> > Hi all -
> >
> > I changed the icon yesterday to make it match the new Kepler design, as
> > shown on the wiki page. The only other thing I have changed is to make
> > the folder "ghosted" (translucent) until it is ready - so the error and
> > busy status both have a ghosted folder, and the ready status has a
> > regular folder. Similar ghosting is commonly used in windows and on the
> > mac to denote hidden files and folders.
> >
> > I have attached screenshots of the ready, busy and error phases (see
> > attached gifs). As you can see, the text "busy" or "ERROR" appears in
> > high-contrast, bold colors during these two phases.
> >
> > The new design color is not a good contrast against the old kepler grey
> > workflow background - the new design will have a white background, which
> > contrasts more with the folder.
> >
> > However, in both cases, the problem might be solved by making the
> > outline of the folder a darker color (look carefully at the folder icons
> > in windows, and you'll see what I mean). This would probably help
> > visibility greatly; the old datasource icon had a black outline, which
> > definitely made it more visible, if a little Fauvist
> >
> > m
> >
> >
> > Laura L. Downey wrote:
> >> Okay I will take a look at the latest in the morning.  Any specific
> >> workflow
> >> you want me to look at?  I'm a little perplexed since we haven't had
any
> >> feedback that it was a problem in the various screenshots presented at
> >> the
> >> last 2 or 3 meetings or from the examples on the wiki.   But if there
> >> is an
> >> issue, we can easily adjust things.
> >> BTW, 10% of the male population has some form of color-blindness --
> >> which is
> >> a major reason color should be used as a redundant cue (and because
> >> people
> >> see colors differently too).  In the datasource icon case, the file
> >> folder
> >> shape is the other cue.
> >> Laura L. Downey
> >> Senior Usability Engineer
> >> LTER Network Office
> >> Department of Biology, MSC03 2020
> >> 1 University of New Mexico
> >> Albuquerque, NM  87131-0001
> >> 505.277.3157 office
> >> 505.610.9657 mobile
> >> 505.277-2541 fax
> >> ldowney at lternet.edu
> >>
> >>
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: Dan Higgins [mailto:higgins at nceas.ucsb.edu] Sent: Thursday,
> >> February 02, 2006 3:01 PM
> >> To: Laura L. Downey
> >> Subject: Re: [kepler-dev] DataSource Icon troubles
> >>
> >> Hi Laura,
> >>     I think you need to look at the latest version.
> >>
> >>     Have you tried the new nightly zip? (an easy way to look at the
> >> version as of last night). There is a link from the download page on
> >> the Kepler web site.(or http://www.kepler-project.org/nightly/zip/)
> >>
> >> Dan
> >>
> >> Laura L. Downey wrote:
> >>
> >>> I don't know what you mean Dan -- the data source icons (the file
> >>> folders)
> >>> are still yellow (maybe a little golder) after the data is
successfully
> >>> downloaded.  Am I misunderstanding something?  Or perhaps Kevin is
> >>> trying
> >>> some different colors with the "currently downloading" and "error"
> >>> conditions of the data source icons.
> >>>
> >>> I haven't been using the latest version of Kepler so haven't seen
> >>> what you
> >>> are referring to.
> >>>
> >>> Laura L. Downey
> >>> Senior Usability Engineer
> >>> LTER Network Office
> >>> Department of Biology, MSC03 2020
> >>> 1 University of New Mexico
> >>> Albuquerque, NM  87131-0001
> >>> 505.277.3157 office
> >>> 505.610.9657 mobile
> >>> 505.277-2541 fax
> >>> ldowney at lternet.edu
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> -----Original Message-----
> >>> From: kepler-dev-bounces at ecoinformatics.org
> >>> [mailto:kepler-dev-bounces at ecoinformatics.org] On Behalf Of Dan
Higgins
> >>> Sent: Thursday, February 02, 2006 2:26 PM
> >>> To: Kepler-dev at ecoinformatics.org
> >>> Subject: [kepler-dev] DataSource Icon troubles
> >>>
> >>> OK - I see we have changed the data source icon colors again! And now
> >>> I can barely even see the icon in the default configuration and the
> >>> color change when not busy is barely perceptable to me
> >>> Granted, I am on the verge of being color-blind, but I am not alone
> >>> in this and I had no trouble with earlier versions of the actors!
> >>>
> >>> Dan
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------------------
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