I have a minor quibble about the ORDER of a few Buttons on the Document Toolbars. This observation centers around which buttons get dropped when there isn't enough room to display the full Toolbar.
- The [Lock-To-Item] button is very important to understanding where Documents will be displayed next. Currently it is also one of the 1st to disappear from the Standard Toolbar. It should probably be positioned at the very left-side of the [Standard] Toolbar or just after the [Menu] button.
- The [Browse Mode] button is less vulnerable to disappearing but probably should be positioned before [Print Preview] and [Open in Browser] in the Standard Toolbar. Contextually, [View HTML Code] should stay next the [Browse Mode] button. This should probably also apply to the redundant buttons in the [Edit Context] toolbar where they are the 1st to disappear.
- Personal preference would have the [Normal] button appear before the [H1..6] buttons on the [ Font ] Toolbar; there will likely be many more Normal styles than Header6 styles.
I recognize that my penchant for embedding free-floating Document Editors together makes me more susceptible to these situations, but hey... good design is just good design.
Now, taking this to the limit, I would also suggest RE-NAMING a couple of the Document Toolbars.
- [Font] --> [Styles] : most of the features have to do with your fantastic implementation of Styles.
- [Standard] --> [Basic] : because "S" would already be associated with [Styles] and [Basic] would be 1st if the Toolbars were listed alphabetically (worth considering as well).
- This argument holds for the [Standard] Toolbar in the Main IQ window.
Decades of software design has taught me that minor adjustments like this can really ease the mental overload that new users experience when faced with software as complex as IQ. Considering the sheer breadth of features available, Pierre has done a marvelous job keeping everything logical and consistent.
Comments
Paul, thanks for the pointer that the Toolbars are truly completely configurable.
Here's what I discovered after playing around for 10 minutes (based on the false assumption that Customize Dialog would lead me to the solution).
Pierre has developed an exceptional piece of software; due, in no small part, to suggestions from this small but active community. The purpose of a Beta roll-out is not just to ensure that all the features work but to verify that everything is presented properly right out of the box. Once software gets to Version 1.0 status, a lot of things get locked in until Version 2.0.
The commercial success of InfoQube (which is what we all want) is going to be more dependent upon on the reaction of novice users in the initial 30 minutes than on the level of satisfaction of long-time users (Pierre may already have your money).
Sorry for the lengthy response to your simple and correct suggestion for a solution to my stated issue. However, hopefully this discussion will prove to be a more useful resource to a new IQ user than just "Thanks for tip".
Pierre, thanks for the perspective on your Toolbar design decisions; I did recognize the layout as being vaguely familiar (I've only been using virtually every version of Office since 1986).
I've been battling against that Microsoft myth for most of my career : "Make it look like Office and everyone will know how to use it already!". This despite the fact that Office is notoriously hard to learn (I have at least 100 lbs of Office How-To books lying around) and studies have shown that the average user utilizes less than 10% of Word's features. I really only found out how much I didn't know when I put together this tutorial on Using Styles in Word.
I actually congratulate you on the thoroughness of your documentation. Unfortunately, many of my clients (and myself admittedly) come from the WAEF-RTFM school; When All Else Fails - Read The F#@king Manual. I also consider myself a pretty sophisticated user so if I can't figure it out in 10 minutes, I start to question the design or presentation. I must have looked at that Customize Dialog dozens of times but it never occurred to me that it activated the Drag & Drop feature within the Toolbars themselves. I can see the need to touch on Interface Customization in my Tutorial much earlier than I had originally intended.
I know it must seem like I get a kick out of questioning some of your fundamental design decisions but that is not the case. I'm constantly amazed at how well the whole package hangs together and how many things have been dealt with in innovative but intuitive ways. I'm simply pointing out some potential pitfalls that my experience as programmer indicates should be fairly easy to address at some point.
It always amazes me how so many software users are willing to simply suffer in silence or worse, beat themselves up for being stupid, when a well-documented suggestion could get rid of the problem for everyone. Especially when you are dealing with developer that is willing to listen like you.
Ahh yes, the one-man software company; I remember it well! Didn't have web site hosting and user forums back then but toss in telephone support, marketing demos, on-site installations & user training and those were pretty full days. I distinctly remember cursing when daylight savings came around as I felt I couldn't afford to lose that damn hour!
On the upside though, changes and enhancements didn't have to go thru committee, my vision set the agenda and (most importantly) I knew the source code inside out. I smile to myself when I see how quickly you can implement suggestions and features. Users would call with a complaint and I often had the issue fixed before the telephone conversation was over because I immediately knew the module, procedure and even code line being referenced.
Right now you have a manageable & supportive user community but IQ deserves a much wider audience, many of whom will not be as patient and understanding.
Anyway, this discussion is getting way off-track from the original topic. As you get closer to Version 1.0, you should consider starting a Forum to discuss potential Marketing avenues, User Requirements, etc. Maybe we can find ways to help share some of your burden.
I'll start by taking a longer look at your Tags documentation and provide my feedback. I hope that you will take a quick look at my Word Styles Tutorial ( www.screencast.com/t/q0Xe0na6DRKC ) to see the kind of Knowledge Tutorials I specialize in. It's only 15 minutes long but shows how much material can be covered in a short period of time.
I hope that you will take a quick look at my Word Styles Tutorial ( www.screencast.com/t/q0Xe0na6DRKC ) to see the kind of Knowledge Tutorials I specialize in. It's only 15 minutes long but shows how much material can be covered in a short period of time.
"a new feature related to styles is coming to a store near you, really soon"
Oooh, I like surprises!
The YouTube version can found here ( youtu.be/nN5cZUfPce0 ). It trims off the lower Comments section to maintain YT's aspect ratio and the Table of Contents is in the SHOW MORE area. I prefer Screencast.com for its non-distracting interface, support for different aspect ratios, popup Table of Contents, and support for Attachments.
If you want the full Knowledge Tutorial experience, you can download the standalone version here ( app.box.com/s/i70meq2n82b1olrbndnawj3n8wbetlzo ). The video is embedded along with an enhanced player that has an interactive Table of Contents (with Comments), Timeline with Subject / Topic markers, and enhanced playback Controls.
Toggle the [Bookmarks] button to see User-Generated Bookmarks for taking Notes while watching.
Click the [Open] button to see a brief tutorial on the Video Controls.
I'm beginning to think of the Knowledge Tutor as an InfoQube wrapper that provides easy access to the information buried in a library of Instructional Videos. I've even got it semi-working for LOADING YouTube videos directly (without all the advertising & distractions; see the [Online URLs] tab).
Yes, software like InfoQube puts users in a bit of a Catch-22. You are tempted to turn off a bunch of stuff just to keep from being overwhelmed by the number of options. But, if you do that, you may end up forgetting (or not even realizing) about some marvelous capabilities that you just haven't figured a use for yet (a solution in search of problem).
I usually try to avoid instructing users on "customization" until they reach a more advanced stage but, with IQ, I may need to make an exception. Fortunately, Pierre has done an excellent job of organizing the Toolbars according to "context" so they can be dealt with individually.
One of the solutions to this is to provide Database Templates along with saved Layouts that provide a starting point for solving different types of problems. Not really sure how "transportable" Toolbar customizations are as of yet.