RE: [Phpgroupware-developers] Conceptually Incorrect Icons + new CRM navigation + ACL extension questions

[Brad Sturgill]

Well, I don't know (and frankly don't really care) if they are conceptually
correct or incorrect, I simply learn the icons meaning and use it.  However,
I have had some users mention (not complain or suggest changes) that the
icons for reply and reply to all look more like the forward icon standard
(pointing forward rather than back).

I agree that eye candy sells, as a result I have added icons in the system
where text navigation was the only option.  For example, I have added icons
in the address book to replace "edit, Vcard, and view".  It does give it a
more "finished" look.  I have been adding icons throughout the application,
as well as standardizing fonts (or at least attempting to).  The inspiration
for this was the work that was developed in the infolog app.

As for the icons in email, I simply changed them to something that satisfied
my users.  It wasn't hard, and again, I just don't care.  It only took a
minute to change them to the KDE icons and now I don't get the comments any
more.  So all I can say on the matter (I guess I have said too much already)
is that if somebody is bothered by it they can change it themselves.  There
is nothing preventing them from creating a backup of the existing icon and
copying the new icon over the existing one.  Of course the only problem is
that updating to newer versions requires a little more attention.

Workflow for CRM functionality:

On a different subject, I have been working on creating additional workflow
navigation that allows my users to take advantage of addressbook, projects
and infolog in a CRM like manner.  While the basic functionality is already
there, I have been tying them together so that it is easier to navigate from
one app to the other without having to select the menu options and
re-identify who/what I was working on.  Again, my risk is that I will have a
bigger challenge when upgrading.  So... is anybody else interested in this
type of functionality?  Would the developers of these three apps be
interested in incorporating this type of work flow?  Since I am new to the
code, I am sure there are better ways of doing things than what I have done.
So I seriously doubt that anybody would want to simply take the changes as
is (when they are done).  However, it could be a "use" guide.

ACL Extensions:

One last subject (for now), I have also been exploring the possibility of
extending the existing ACL functionality.  The concepts developed so far are
really great and work wonderfully!  However, I would like to add one more
level of "sharing".  I would like to be able to share different records
within an app to different people.  For example, I would like to "share"
with people in the accounting group records from the addressbook and infolog
for contacts that have been historically slow to pay for services.  I
obviously don't want to share this type of information to the entire
company, but I do want to share sales activities (records in the
addressbook, infolog, projects apps) with the sales teams.  But, with the
existing ACL functionality, as I understand it, when I make addressbook
entries not private everybody I grant read privileges to can see it (in this
case accounting and sales).  If there is a way to do this within the app
today I don't see it (but again I am relatively new with the app), so please
point me in the right direction.  However, if this type of functionality is
not available today, is anybody else interested in this?  Would the ACL
developer be interested in enhancing this wonderful piece of code to include
this functionality?  I have some ideas on how to develop this functionality
but have not yet formalized it (in other words I haven't written it down).
I would really enjoy working with somebody on this if there is any real
interest.

Congratulations on a great set of apps in a wonderful framework.  I had been
using another set of code "H#*%E" but started with this a few weeks ago.
To-date, all of my users have migrated (by choice) to this set of apps and
really love it.  Thanks for all of your efforts in putting together a set of
apps that really hit the mark, AND thanks for making doing it in such an
organized and structured manner.

Brad Sturgill
Telos Group


-----Original Message-----
From: address@hidden
[mailto:address@hidden Behalf Of Chris Weiss
Sent: Saturday, May 04, 2002 11:54 AM
To: address@hidden
Subject: Re: [Phpgroupware-developers] Conceptually Incorrect Icons


First, I'm all for anything "new and improved", especially where "intuitive"
is the
goal.  I hate trianing people.  However.....

Those look just like the old-old icons except even more bland, which was the
biggest
user complaint about them.  Most email apps do use a different color for the
arrow
on the forward icon, but other than that I don't see what's so wrong with
the
current ones.  And I really don't see how your icons are in any way better
than what
we have.  We have eye candy, and in the real world, eye candy sells.  You
arrows
point the same way, just one has one more arrow, I fail to see how adding an
arrow
makes it more intutitve, to me it looks more clutered.

On a side note, and a couple pet peeves of mine: BMP is not an internet
standard
format.  PNG is prefered, GIF and JPG are also welcome.  You wrote a plain
text
email, why on earth would you write an <a href> in it?  Let the properly
written
email clients do their job in making a URL a clickable link.  As you wrote
it the
"clickable" was ("http://web.njit.edu/~jxr7434/reply.bmp";>here).

Chris - just a guy that likes to voice his oppinions :)

John Rizzo (address@hidden) wrote*:
>
>Hi guys,
>
>First I would like to congradulate you on a spectacular application!!! Good
work.
>
>Recently I have been taking a class in Human Computer Interaction.
Specifically we
>have been studying incorrect designs so my mind has been aware of this as I
go
>through life.  Hence, I noticed that the reply and reply to all buttons
appear to
>be conceptually incorrect.  When you reply you are usually thinking of
sending a
>message back to the user and therefor the arrows would be pointing to the
left.
>This is not necessarily a problem in and of itself however your forward
button
>looks almost identically to the reply button.  The only difference being
that it is
>on the right side of the envelope.
>
>I would recommend redesigning the reply and reply to all icons so that they
are
>more distinguishable.
>
>I have posted my redesigned image <a
>href="http://web.njit.edu/~jxr7434/reply.bmp";>here for reply</a> and <a
>href="http://web.njit.edu/~jxr7434/replytoall.bmp";>here for reply to
all</a>
>
>I hope this helps.
>
>John
>
>PS. I am not subsribed to this list so if you want to reply to me then
please reply
>to address@hidden  Thank you.
>
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>Phpgroupware-developers mailing list
>address@hidden
>http://mail.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/phpgroupware-developers
>


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