Admin interface proposed changes

[Matt Ryan]

Hi, folks --

I am working on some changes to the admin interface. There are two
main aspects to the changes:

1. Icons for types -- each type can have a 16x16 icon that represents
it in the administrative interface.
2. Changing how users access the borrowing interface -- rather than
listing the types available for borrowing in the left column, I'm
proposing that we offer access to that feature via tabs at the top of
the type add/edit page. The goal is to prevent two long redundant
lists of types, and to allow the site tools menu to stand a chance of
being visible without scrolling.

Here is a "before" screenshot of how the interface currently looks:

http://apps.carleton.edu/reason_package/reason_4.0/www/images/587022.gif

And here is an "after" screenshot of how the proposed interface looks & works:

http://apps.carleton.edu/reason_package/reason_4.0/www/images/587024.gif

I recognize that it might present a learning curve for users who are
used to the current location of the borrowing lists, but I think that
on balance it is an improvement over the current approach.

I've already built this out at Carleton, and I'd like to move these
changes into the nightly builds as soon as I can, so please get back
to me if you have any thoughts/suggestions/etc.

Thanks!

Matt Ryan

[Steve]

I like the proposed changes. To further enforce the icons, you could
include a larger version next to the page title (above the tabs). My 2
cents.

Steve

[Matt Ryan]

That's a good idea.

It turns out that the 16px icons actually work OK in that location,
which is good, since I'm using the Silk icons suite, which only comes
in 16x16 px. :)

Matt

[Nathan White]

I think it looks nice and especially like the new screen real estate we gain by combining add/edit/borrow on the left hand menu.

Nate

[Charles Fulton]

I'm a fan, and the icons should help our users make connections.

Charles

[Carolyn Zinn]

Yes, the icons will be a very nice addition.
Carolyn

[Matt Ryan]

Thanks for the feedback, folks.

I have cleaned up the tabs and added the icon next to the listing page title.

There is a screenshot of the interface here:

http://apps.carleton.edu/reason_package/reason_4.0/www/images/587432.gif

I'm still a bit concerned about the likelihood that "borrow" may be a
careword for some users, and it will no longer be visible -- it's now
more of a contextually-bound action you take when looking at items
from other sites rather than a major heading in the interface. We
could try to wean users to the new "this site"/"other site"
terminology by using language like "Other sites' items (borrow)," but
I think that the language in the screenshot is quite nice, so it's
hard to muck it up with an awkward construction like that.

Any thoughts or suggestions on tab language?

Thanks,
Matt

[Mark Heiman]

Thinking about the tab language has helped me focus my vague
uncertainty about the tab concept.

I think what's bugging me is that what you do on image manager page
and what you do on the image borrowing page are not parallel, but the
interfaces are similar, and so setting them up as parallel tabs feels
like it increases the potential for confusion.

In the current interface, when you're at Add/Edit Images, you're
directly managing the images that are part of your site. The images
that you see listed when you arrive there are objects that are part of
your site and available for manipulation.

When you go to Borrow Images, you're presented with what looks like
exactly the same interface (if you haven't borrowed anything), but it
means something very different. And the actions you can take are of a
different character.

That's not too confusing right now, because you get at those pages
from different parts of the interface, with explicit cues to the
associated actions. The tab interface removes those action cues, and
emphasizes the similarity of the pages, which in my mind makes them
more confusing for the casual user.

It's possible that some different labeling would ease my concern, but
I suspect a deeper rethinking of the borrowing experience is going to
be required.

mfh

[Matt Ryan]

Here is a revision with your concerns taken into account.
Specifically, the tabs have been reconceptualized as actions, and
given "active" icons to try to reinforce those actions.

http://apps.carleton.edu/reason_package/reason_4.0/www/images/587674.gif

Matt

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[Matt Ryan]

Oh, and here is a screenshot of the "Borrow" tab:

http://apps.carleton.edu/reason_package/reason_4.0/www/images/587677.gif

Matt