Author Topic: LibreOffice UI Mockups (with sidebar) (Read 29803 times)

zridling · « **on:** January 17, 2011, 07:58 AM »

Web Upd8 has the latest LibreOffice UI mockups, inspired by the Blender UI. These shots are closer to the Lotus Symphony UI than Blender. Oh well, at least they're taking advantage of widescreens rather than reducing vertical space.

Same as the first, only dark.

zridling · « **Reply #1 on:** January 17, 2011, 08:00 AM »

For those unfamiliar, LibreOffice is the fork of OpenOffice after Oracle acquired Sun.

tomos · « **Reply #2 on:** January 17, 2011, 09:36 AM »

[...]
they're taking advantage of widescreens rather than reducing vertical space.
-zridling (January 17, 2011, 07:58 AM)

well, that sounds good. Using Word with the ribbon on a laptop is a PIA.

Would you recommend Libre these days Zaine? or Lotus, or ?

mahesh2k · « **Reply #3 on:** January 17, 2011, 10:44 AM »

Looks good UI to me, but why people are abandoning old MS office 2003 style interface ? $:-\$ That's very good UI IMO. I prefer more text options than icons.

timns · « **Reply #4 on:** January 17, 2011, 11:02 AM »

It has been noted that the 2010 office editions are moving back to sidebars and less clutter on the ribbon. I use OneNote 2010 here and the file tab is a sign of things to come, I think.

fenixproductions · « **Reply #5 on:** January 17, 2011, 04:07 PM »

Every time I am looking on new interface proposals I think about this:
http://blogs.msdn.co...y-of-the-ribbon.aspx

I know that wide screen LCDs are now trendy but do we really want to go back to:

LibreOffice UI Mockups (with sidebar)

BTW Microsoft has already tried "side panel approach":

LibreOffice UI Mockups (with sidebar)

BTW 2 I am always mad to see f*g font ComboBox being so narrow. Every office suite in the world has this issue. Wouldn't it be better to have it wider (allow to resize)? With font preview, perhaps?

zridling · « **Reply #6 on:** January 17, 2011, 04:41 PM »

well, that sounds good. Using Word with the ribbon on a laptop is a PIA. Would you recommend Libre these days Zaine? or Lotus, or ?
-tomos (January 17, 2011, 09:36 AM)

I'm a text editor guy 95% of the time, however, I've been using the RC versions of LibreOffice for a couple of months and they're fine, in some ways notably better than OpenOffice because they clean up Options and Custom dialogs. Trust me, it's a welcome update.

Looks good UI to me, but why people are abandoning old MS office 2003 style interface ? $:-\$ That's very good UI IMO. I prefer more text options than icons.
-mahesh2k (January 17, 2011, 10:44 AM)

In part because screens have changed since the 90s. MSOffice 2003 is still being used by zillions around the globe (for good reason). With netbooks, more laptops, and 27" widescreen monitors that now cost $350, you've got room to reconsider the UI.

It has been noted that the 2010 office editions are moving back to sidebars and less clutter on the ribbon. I use OneNote 2010 here and the file tab is a sign of things to come, I think.
-timns (January 17, 2011, 11:02 AM)

I always thought OneNote was Microsoft's greatest software achievement. Seriously, it is incredible. Again, the Lotus Symphony office suite uses tabs throughout its UI.

I know that wide screen LCDs are now trendy but do we really want to go back to: <toolbar hell>
-fenixproductions (January 17, 2011, 04:07 PM)

No. Been there, done that.

BTW 2 I am always mad to see f*g font ComboBox being so narrow. Every office suite in the world has this issue. Wouldn't it be better to have it wider (allow to resize)? With font preview, perhaps?
-fenixproductions (January 17, 2011, 04:07 PM)

Son, you USE the [default] font you're given and you like it!

No, but I figure the reason it's not done is because it would make sense.

fenixproductions · « **Reply #7 on:** January 17, 2011, 05:46 PM »

The real question which came to my mind is: will they ever do anything to Draw or focus on Writer only?

Seriously, remembering many OO versions I can see applications prioritized as: Wrter, Calc, Impress and Draw. For me "they" are reinventing the wheel over and over again. Same discussions from time to time and empty slogans about "MS Office replacement".

My idea for Libre is: no GUI changes yet but keep it stable instead, integrate Thunderbird somehow, finish Draw (or support Inkscape) and give true OneNote replacement. If it works it will be first real step for throwing MS away.

zridling · « **Reply #8 on:** January 18, 2011, 03:40 AM »

Another, more detailed mockup.

Tuxman · « **Reply #9 on:** January 18, 2011, 12:46 PM »

I wonder what all that "drop UIs users are used to" stuff is about. There are several good reasons that the current UI has been consistent for so long...

40hz · « **Reply #10 on:** January 18, 2011, 01:30 PM »

Looks good.

Have to say I like it.

Nice to see they're obviously thinking "wide screen" monitor layout - as opposed to Ubuntu who seems to be fixated on stripping down and jamming themselves into "tablet" and "netbook" layouts. Especially with that "new direction" they've unilaterally announced for their future desktop.

fenixproductions · « **Reply #11 on:** January 18, 2011, 02:03 PM »

I wonder what all that "drop UIs users are used to" stuff is about. There are several good reasons that the current UI has been consistent for so long...
-Tuxman (January 18, 2011, 12:46 PM)

Sometimes I am just thinking the answer is "We can't make it good so will make it looking nice" but it may be too unfair.

Tuxman · « **Reply #12 on:** January 18, 2011, 02:06 PM »

Yeh, "looking nice" FAIL @ most of the "modern approaches"...

40hz · « **Reply #13 on:** January 20, 2011, 09:22 AM »

But still, there's nothing to say something that works well can't also look good. I'm a real bug about interfaces. If it's something I'm going to staring at for several hours at a pop, it could at least look pretty AFAIC.

However, I am in complete agreement with fenixproductions on the subject of what their dev priorities should be. I'd be a lot happier (as would potential business customers) if they could focus on stability, product 'completeness,' and doing something about load and switch speeds first. Perhaps they want to establish a highly visible distinction between Libre and Oo as a marketing move. Which is fine so long as the other more important issues don't get back-burnered while their team futzes with the 'fun' stuff.

Just my 2 anyway.

daddydave · « **Reply #14 on:** January 20, 2011, 09:56 AM »

Eww, the first screenshots remind me of Quicktime Player. I hope that is a mockup for the Mac version.

UPDATED: or Linux version. Although in that case, I'm sure there would be a "Windows look" theme.

zridling · « **Reply #15 on:** January 21, 2011, 04:08 AM »

However, I am in complete agreement with fenixproductions on the subject of what their dev priorities should be. I'd be a lot happier (as would potential business customers) if they could focus on stability, product 'completeness,' and doing something about load and switch speeds first.
-40hz (January 20, 2011, 09:22 AM)

The good news is that's exactly what they're doing in this version. In v3.4 they'll begin to add new features according to the dev roadmap.

daddydave · « **Reply #16 on:** January 21, 2011, 05:02 AM »

I'm looking forward to the release regardless. Imagine all the good ideas people were thinking of while OpenOffice was stagnating. And I do like the idea of a sidebar.

40hz · « **Reply #17 on:** January 21, 2011, 05:18 AM »

However, I am in complete agreement with fenixproductions on the subject of what their dev priorities should be. I'd be a lot happier (as would potential business customers) if they could focus on stability, product 'completeness,' and doing something about load and switch speeds first.
-40hz (January 20, 2011, 09:22 AM)

The good news is that's exactly what they're doing in this version. In v3.4 they'll begin to add new features according to the dev roadmap.
-zridling (January 21, 2011, 04:08 AM)

That is very good news indeed!

InstantFundas · « **Reply #18 on:** January 23, 2011, 10:39 AM »

These are not official mockups. Just some designs by some guy at deviantart.
http://pauloup.devia...com/gallery/28216273

@OP should have posted this vital info. Renders the whole discussion useless

zridling · « **Reply #19 on:** January 23, 2011, 01:38 PM »

These are not official mockups. Just some designs by some guy at deviantart.
http://pauloup.devia...com/gallery/28216273
@OP should have posted this vital info. Renders the whole discussion useless
-InstantFundas (January 23, 2011, 10:39 AM)

Uh, I did. Right there in the first sentence: "Web Upd8 has the latest LibreOffice UI mockups...." And it's also in the subject line.

40hz · « **Reply #20 on:** January 23, 2011, 02:37 PM »

These are not official mockups. Just some designs by some guy at deviantart.
http://pauloup.devia...com/gallery/28216273

@OP should have posted this vital info. Renders the whole discussion useless
-InstantFundas (January 23, 2011, 10:39 AM)

Not really.

These mockups have some great ideas. And Libre is very open to suggestions.

So until somebody at Libre says this particular concept is a complete crock and won't be considered, it remains part of the meme surrounding LibreOffice. And being an open software project, there's also nothing to stop the implementation that interface as a side project even if the Document Foundation's LibreOffice programming team decides to ignore it. (I say ignore because you can bet somebody has already brought it to their attention.)

There's even a page on their website specifically for UX and Visual designers. Link here.

UX/Visual Designers

Primary points of contact: the Design Team wiki page and the Design mailing list.

LibreOffice aims to be a great tool for people to let them create, edit and share any kind of information - to enable them to turn their ideas into documents. But offering that much capability requires the software to be easy and intuitive to use.

The LibreOffice Design Team wants to, "Make it just work, and look great, too!" We set out to do this by offering user experience [UX] design and visual identity design.

We need people to get involved in one or some of the following areas:

User experience: User experience considers the user's point of view even before and also during the use of LibreOffice. It aims for productivity, usability and enjoyment and targets both the the LibreOffice project's Web resources and the LibreOffice software. If you're interested in or have expertise in research, design and evaluation methods, we want to hear from you!

Visual identity design: Visual identity design is about creating stunning artwork to be used in the LibreOffice productivity suite, in the LibreOffice project's Web infrastructure, and in the LibreOffice project's marketing material. It is also about improving the quality and consistency of the visual branding language, which represents our whole community.

Accessibility: Accessibility is about making the software usable for everyone: people with and people without special needs. To achieve this challenging goal, we implement the laws and technologies that are that are widely-recognized requisites in the field.

User support and training: This is about sharing your experience when providing support and training for end users. It helps us identify important areas for improvement and establish essential requirements.

Consequently, if you'd like to work on improvements that target both the community and our large end-user base, then the Design Team is the right place for you.

To contact the Design Team, please visit the Design Team wiki page and sign-up for the Design mailing list.

That's the beauty of GPL projects - you never have to say: Never! The very existence of the LibreOffice fork is itself proof of that.

-----------

Note: DevArt is consulted for design ideas and inspiration a lot more often than most people realize - so don't rule something out just because it's found there. I've seen many interface concepts displayed on DeviantArt that mysteriously appear in software products later on.

"Coincidence? You be the judge..." as the saying goes.

InstantFundas · « **Reply #21 on:** January 23, 2011, 11:13 PM »

Uh, I did. Right there in the first sentence: "Web Upd8 has the latest LibreOffice UI mockups...." And it's also in the subject line.

-zridling (January 23, 2011, 01:38 PM)

Mockups can be official and unofficial. If the mockups come from the official team it means that the proposed designs could very well make into the actual product. Any other mockups by independent designers are unofficial. They are unlikely to find their way into the final product, unless the product developers embraces it, in which case, it becomes the official mockup.

Not really.

These mockups have some great ideas. And Libre is very open to suggestions.

So until somebody at Libre says this particular concept is a complete crock and won't be considered, it remains part of the meme surrounding LibreOffice. And being an open software project, there's also nothing to stop the implementation that interface as a side project even if the Document Foundation's LibreOffice programming team decides to ignore it. (I say ignore because you can bet somebody has already brought it to their attention.)

There's even a page on their website specifically for UX and Visual designers. Link here.

Note: DevArt is consulted for design ideas and inspiration a lot more often than most people realize - so don't rule something out just because it's found there. I've seen many interface concepts displayed on DeviantArt that mysteriously appear in software products later on.

I agree what you say, but my initial argument still holds - that they are not official, so don't pin your hopes on THIS particular design. And just like you said, there could be and IS dozens of Liberoffice designs floating around the web, any of which (or none) could becomes the actual UI.

I just want to say that if you don't label a mockup as unofficial, people assume they come from the developer.

40hz · « **Reply #22 on:** January 24, 2011, 12:24 AM »

I just want to say that if you don't label a mockup as unofficial, people assume they come from the developer.
-InstantFundas (January 23, 2011, 11:13 PM)

Well...I didn't assume the mockup was from the developer because zridling's link was to Web Upd8 as opposed to documentfoundation.org. But I guess I can (sort of) see what you're saying.

Mockups can be official and unofficial. If the mockups come from the official team it means that the proposed designs could very well make into the actual product. Any other mockups by independent designers are unofficial. They are unlikely to find their way into the final product, unless the product developers embraces it, in which case, it becomes the official mockup.
-InstantFundas (January 23, 2011, 11:13 PM)

That would be true only if the interface "look" was hard-coded into Libre Office. But there's nothing to stop them from making the UI 'skinnable' to allow for easy integration of 3rd-party UI themes. My understanding is that eventually giving the user the option to customize the interface was one of the design goals for LO.

And again, LO is an open source project. Just because the development team may choose not to use this particular UI, there's nothing stopping someone else from implementing and releasing it. If enough people like it, that will be more likely to occur than not.

Deozaan · « **Reply #23 on:** January 24, 2011, 09:37 PM »

I just thought I'd chime in and say that I did assume they were official mockups because I don't follow LibreOffice close enough to know that documentfoundation.org is the official developer and I didn't think it would be unusual for another website (Web Upd8, which I've never heard of before) to post news about (official) mockups.

It's not uncommon for news blogs to get (sometimes exclusive) screens or information from official sources and report on it. I assumed this was the case with these mockups.

Although if I had bothered to click through to the article and read it, it does make it clear that these are not official. So my ignorance is mostly my own fault.

Since these are just fan-made images I do agree that it changes the discussion somewhat, from "Oh, look what they're considering" to "Oh, look what someone who doesn't necessarily have any influence on the decision thinks they should consider."

40hz · « **Reply #24 on:** January 24, 2011, 10:08 PM »

BTW: Downloaded the newest Libre release and got a chance to use it pretty heavily today.

It seems lighter on it's feet than Oo. Wonder if it's really true - or just wishful thinking on my part.

Anybody else notice that to be the case?