[kepler-dev] DataSource Icon troubles

Laura L. Downey ldowney at lternet.edu
Fri Feb 3 11:00:16 PST 2006


No Shawn.  I'm not officially proposing two kinds of file folders in the
tree at this time, just said I had thought about trying it, meaning mocking
it up to see what it looks like.  Another idea I thought about was making
the file folders teal too but I worry that would just look very similar to
the regular actor icons.  And yes, another idea is to do away with the file
folders for data and use a different symbol as you mentioned.

But since we are making incremental changes, and since there didn't seem to
be an issue with a standard file folder representing a directory in a tree
and a larger file folder with some differences as data in the workflow, I
haven't concentrated on this.  There are many other higher priority
usability issues to concentrate on than the file folder.

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 11:43 AM
To: Laura L. Downey
Cc: 'Kevin Ruland'; 'Matthew Brooke'; Kepler-dev at ecoinformatics.org
Subject: Re: [kepler-dev] DataSource Icon troubles

Laura L. Downey wrote:

 > The only real technicality here regarding standard design principles
 > is that we might think there would be a little confusion when
 > dragging a data file from the tree that turns into a different large
 > file folder on the workflow canvas.  I wondered the same when I
 > first looked at Kepler.

So basically you are proposing we have two kinds of folders in the
actor/data trees: one signifying normal folders (i.e., something that
can have sub-folders and actors and/or datasets), and one signifying
datasets themselves -- and both of these essentially look the same (at
least closer now), except with slightly different yellow colors and
shading.

Also, a folder to me signifies something that can be hierarchically
nested (i.e., containing subfolders) and can contain multiple files
...  I don't see how this reflects the notion of a tabular dataset
(*maybe* XML, but that makes it even more confusing) --

-shawn


 >
 > But we haven't had any feedback during training or basic testing that
 > indicated people were confused with a directory file folder in a tree 
and
 > the large file symbol being used in a workflow.
 >
 > I haven't tried it yet but did think about representing data files in 
the
 > tree that can be dragged as the flat dark gold file symbol so that they
 > looked different than the standard directory file folders in the 
tree.  Also
 > users can't drag the directory file folders but they can drag the 
data file
 > folders.
 >
 > 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 8:55 AM
 > To: Laura L. Downey
 > Cc: 'Kevin Ruland'; 'Shawn Bowers'; 'Matthew Brooke';
 > Kepler-dev at ecoinformatics.org
 > Subject: RE: [kepler-dev] DataSource Icon troubles
 >
 >
 > So, according to this argument, we need to change the folder icons in 
the
 > actor library, right?
 >
 > -shawn
 >
 > On Fri, 3 Feb 2006, Laura L. Downey wrote:
 >
 >> Yes consistency is important, especially in symbology and color.  We 
don't
 >> want two different colors meaning the same thing, or two different 
symbols
 >> meaning the same thing either. Conversely we don't want one symbol 
or one
 >> color meaning two distinctly different things either.
 >>
 >> The current proposal is to establish a baseline set of symbols with the
 > file
 >> folder representing data.  So I would expect the set of workflows that
 >> Kepler ships with originally to conform to our baseline set of 
symbols and
 >> with consistency.  But workflow creators will also have the option 
to add
 >> their own symbols within the icon style and colors offered.  So it is
 >> possible that someone will add their own data symbol and use that in 
the
 >> future.
 >>
 >> 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: Kevin Ruland [mailto:kruland at ku.edu]
 >> Sent: Friday, February 03, 2006 8:29 AM
 >> To: Laura L. Downey
 >> Cc: 'Shawn Bowers'; 'Matthew Brooke'; Kepler-dev at ecoinformatics.org
 >> Subject: Re: [kepler-dev] DataSource Icon troubles
 >>
 >>
 >> There is an inconsistency currently, the DarwinCore and EML datasources
 >> use the folder icon (same object actually) but the GEON uses a
 >> cylinder.  I think it's best for them to all use exactly the same code
 >> for easier maintenance and visual pleasure.
 >>
 >> Kevin
 >>
 >> 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
 >>>
 >>>
 >>




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