[dev] [commits] Horde branch develop updated. 8b52fbc316c6846bb4ffd96c25a8ffcd9cbbe695

[Jan Schneider]

Zitat von Michael J Rubinsky <mrubinsk at horde.org>:

> Quoting Michael M Slusarz <slusarz at horde.org>:
>
>> Quoting Michael J Rubinsky <mrubinsk at horde.org>:
>>
>>> Quoting Jan Schneider <jan at horde.org>:
>>>
>>>> Zitat von Michael M Slusarz <slusarz at horde.org>:
>>>>
>>>>> commit 98107745649a54da45c9846ca3881aa13a947ecd
>>>>> Author: Michael M Slusarz <slusarz at horde.org>
>>>>> Date:   Fri Aug 24 16:00:12 2012 -0600
>>>>>
>>>>> Smartmobile navigation UI tweaks
>>>>>
>>>>> Remove navigation buttons; swipe actions are sufficient.
>>>>> Fix message navigation in search mailbox.
>>>>>
>>>>> imp/js/smartmobile.js                      |   43  
>>>>> ++++++---------------------
>>>>> imp/templates/smartmobile/message.html.php |    4 --
>>>>> 2 files changed, 10 insertions(+), 37 deletions(-)
>>>>>
>>>>> http://git.horde.org/horde-git/-/commit/98107745649a54da45c9846ca3881aa13a947ecd
>>>>
>>>> I'm not so sure. Technically, swipe is sufficient. But  
>>>> considering that one of the goals of the smartmobile interface  
>>>> was to provide users a usable interface if they point their  
>>>> mobile browsers to the webmail address they are used to, it might  
>>>> be exactly those unsophisticated users, that might have no idea  
>>>> how to navigate between messages unless it's obvious to them.
>>
>> I figured there would be some blowback from this, but thinking  
>> about this for several days, I believe this is the correct  
>> solution.  Looking at other mobile-like interfaces, I could not  
>> find another that explicitly had navigation buttons like this.   
>> Almost all mobile apps assume that users understand the ability to  
>> pinch-zoom, swipe, and long click at this point.
>>
>> A potential option would be to put floating arrows on either side  
>> of the screen to indicate to the user that they can navigate.  But  
>> I'm not sure if the benefit is worth the expense, given that I  
>> believe that message-level navigation is not a frequently used  
>> option in the smartmobile context.
>>
>> My usage pattern when using smartmobile view is to scan the mailbox  
>> for new "interesting" messages to read, and then go read them one  
>> at a time.  I am not interested in traversing the mailbox (and,  
>> concurrently, all unseen messages) since I am not looking to  
>> actively manage my mailbox using this interface, since it is  
>> admittedly a bit clunky.  Smartmobile exists as a way to primarily  
>> *read* emails on the go.  Advanced mail management actions just  
>> confuse and hinder this goal.
>>
>>> I agree with Jan. I don't see any harm in leaving them in and it  
>>> provides a small benefit for a subset of users.
>>
>> I disagree (obviously) and am looking to trim other features as  
>> well.  Namely "Edit As New".  This is not a "core" feature and  
>> arguably isn't useful at all on the smartmobile platform since it  
>> is pretty much impossible (well, at least very difficult) to go  
>> through and edit currently existing text.  Plus, most other mail  
>> clients don't directly offer this as a core feature, or at least as  
>> a visible core feature, so it can be confusing to most users.
>
> I don't have a strong opinion as far as the "Edit As New" not being  
> needed on mobile, but would tend to agree with Michael here.

I have the same opinion on this like on other advanced features, see below.

>> These extra buttons DO clutter up the available actions and make it  
>> more difficult to select the proper button to click.  In the mobile  
>> world, I believe that redundant UI needs to be eliminated - you  
>> select the best UI method for the particular action and that's it.
>
> I can understand your argument here, though I disagree. What about  
> clients that don't have touch screens? I'm thinking specifically  
> about BB here. E.g., on my wife's BB, the mobile interface is usable  
> (though clunky) by navigating links via the trackball (or whatever  
> BB calls it). Are we willing to force these devices to the minimal  
> view just because we want to remove the navigation buttons?

Good point.

>> The goal of the smartmobile mail client (IMHO) is to be allowed to  
>> view messages and be able to do quick, basic actions (Reply,  
>> Forward, Delete, Spam).  It is not intended to be an application to  
>> *manage* your mail account however.  Redirecting, Move, and Copy  
>> are somewhat more advanced options and are of somewhat dubious  
>> value in the smartmobile context.
>
> I disagree here. I can see Redirect as being a vital action for  
> corporate users. I can see Copy being unnecessary, but I wouldn't  
> want to be without Move. If my normal workflow is to move an email  
> out of my INBOX after I've read it, I want to be able to do this  
> while I'm reading it, regardless of what interface I'm using.  I  
> don't want to have to handle the same email in my INBOX twice. I use  
> my mobile for managing my mail *far* more often than I use the  
> desktop interface. Granted, I'm using either a native email client  
> or the ActiveSync client on my phone to do it, but that doesn't mean  
> it shouldn't be possible with the mobile web interface.

This interface is also used by devices with much larger screens, like  
tablets. Those *could* in many case replace the desktop browser  
completely, I don't want to artificially reduce functionality that we  
already have, at almost no cost. I agree that a crowded interface on a  
phone screen is a cost, but I don't consider the current interface too  
crowded yet. And more importantly, the example of tablets is a strong  
argument why more advanced option might not be dubious in the  
smartmobile context at all. At least not always.
-- 
Jan Schneider
The Horde Project
http://www.horde.org/