UI suggestions

[Hylke Bons]

Aleve Sicofante wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I'm new to this Pidgin list. I've been using Pidgin in Windows for a
> few weeks and I'd like to point out a few UI issues I've found:
>
> 1- Friends logging in or out are announced by a sound. In order to
> know who's that friend, the user is forced to open Pidgin.
> SUGGESTION:
> Show a tooltip in the system tray showing the friend's name and a
> little text ("Fred has just logged in" or "Martha has just logged out").
>
Use the guifications plugin.

> 2- Icons used to show a friend is logging in and out are counter
> intuitive. A small arrow pointing outside the window means the friend
> is getting in. A small arrow pointing inside the window means the
> friend is getting out. It should be exactly the opposite. The door
> behind the arrows is too small to help with the meaning.
> SUGGESTION:
> Remove the door in the icons.
> Use a big red arrow pointing outside the window when a friend logs out.
> Use big green arrow pointing inside the window when a friend logs in.
>
This is fixed in 2.1.0.

> 3- Friends' pictures are shown to the right of the window, while names
> are on the left. Unless the window is stretched to a very narrow
> width, it's hard to see who the picture belongs too.
> SUGGESTION:
> Put friends' pictures right in between the friend's status icon and
> the friend's name.
I kind of agree with you here, but i don't think your suggestion is the
right solution. If someone doesn't have a buddy icon there is a lot of
empty space.
>
> 3- Friends' pictures are far too small.
> SUGGESTION:
> Allow picture size to be customizable in Preferences.
>
> 4- Turning pictures into B&W when friend is disconnected is a nice way
> to tell so, but it should be optional. Some pictures look just too bad
> in B&W.
> SUGGESTION:
> Allow "B&W when friend is away" to be an option in Preferences.
How can a picture "look bad" in B&W? I think then the picture just looks
bad itself...

>
> 5- "Friend is typing" animated icon: It took me a few days to notice
> it was there. It's annoying to look up-right to see if your friend is
> typing. While in a conversation, we tend to look at the last line our
> friend has written or to our own writing area.
> SUGGESTION:
> Put the "friend is typing" animated icon right between the writing
> area and the last line of the current conversation.
>
The conversation window is getting an overhaul in 2.1.0, we'll take this
in consideration, but I'm already glad you recognized it as if it were
the "typing icon". :)

> 6- I think "Expand" is not quite that useful. Most friends use just
> one IM protocol, making expanding a bit absurd.
> SUGGESTIONS:
> Put protocol icons to the right of the friend's name.
> Use protocol icons to show friend's status. For instance, by putting
> that icon in B&W (Instead of the friend's picture).
> Allow grouping by protocol (which is nice) to be an option in preferences.
I think this is one of the major features of Pidgin and very useful for
a multi IM client.
And the protocols, well... no...:)

Hylke