[imp] Attachment interface confusing to users

Eric Rostetter eric.rostetter@physics.utexas.edu
Tue, 25 Jun 2002 12:49:10 -0500


Quoting Chuck Hagenbuch <chuck@horde.org>:

> Quoting Eric Rostetter <eric.rostetter@physics.utexas.edu>:
> 
> > I must admit I also find the expand names kind of strange.  It acts on
> > all the fields if they contain something (to/cc/bcc) when you may only 
> > really want it to expand one field, and so on.  I kind of like the way 
> > IMP 2.x worked where a tab in the field would expand the name... 
> 
> ... which required having the contents of the user's entire addressbook 
> embedded into a javascript array in the compose page.
> 
> -chuck

Yuck! Don't want that!

Maybe instead of the button being the To/Cc/Bcc fields like in the
last of the three images/layouts proposed, just add an "expand names" 
field to each of those lines, which works the same as the current expand 
names button but only on that one line?  Not sure if this is possible or not.
But it could kill a couple of birds with one stone if it can be done:

1) Puts the expand names next to what you want to expand.
2) Limits the scope of the expand names function to an individual field.
3) Makes it still clear that you will be expanding names ;)
4) If it is in the tab sequence of the form, would be doable in most
   browsers with a tab/return combination...

Just a random thought...

-- 
Eric Rostetter
The Department of Physics
The University of Texas at Austin

"TAD (Technology Attachment Disorder) is an unshakable, impractical devotion
to a brand, platform, product line, or programming language. It's relatively
harmless among the rank and file, but when management is afflicted the damage
can be measured in dollars. It's also contagious -- someone with sufficient
political clout can infect an entire organization."

--"Enterprise Strategies" columnist Tom Yager.