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SEE THERE:
brainstorm.php#idea89572

Hi,
I think that kde4 can do better than others DE, but we must work more on usability and on GUI layout & design.
Sincerly, the worst thing of kde 4, in my opinion, is the menu kick off.
It isn't designed for improve usability. It looks only as a vista/7 menu copy.
So, if we have to copy windows (why not, gui aren't protect by patents) it is better to copy only the nice things.
For example i can't understand why search space is positioned over the menu, when your brain will prefer to find under like in windows (near the menu button).
I hope, in a future realase ok kde, they will replace kick off menu with a more usable thing.

Meanwhile there that we have it, I submit only one of my ideas for improve it's usability. Obviously I mean the same layout for subcategories. Will be nice to have also a fade or other effects, and possibility to zoom in/out icons.

It's like iphone, i don't like apple but if you have a lot of applications you can fly over it faster with this layout.

Wath do you think guys? I'm not a programmer, so I can't do nothing for it :S

In the future please use the brainstorm forum for feature requests and other ideas.

TheBlackCat wrote:In the future please use the brainstorm forum for feature requests and other ideas.

Apologize for that, I didn't know well were post it.
Thanks for move it.

You do realize there are other menu's provided that you can switch with the default kicker? I use Lancelot which I find fits my needs better and has the search bar where you prefer it.
The other idea about the icons is interesting, but unsure whether I would prefer it.

Other menu alternatives aside, I agree 100% with the orignal post. Kickoff has received little (if any) attention throughout the life of KDE4 and is IMO an eyesore for KDE4. Its extremely inefficient use of space and unnecessarily huge icons are the more visible flaws. Polishing up Kickoff doesn't seem like a major task. Although as a non-developer I really don't know. The start menu is arguably the most commonly used component of the entire DE - especially for casual users. Streamlining, modernizing and generally cleaning up Kickoff will go a long way IMO towards improving the KDE user experience.

I personally don't like a vista/7 menu, but untill kde4 will use a button lancer this is the situation.
It will be good to find a new gui with only a panel on top, a simple cascade menu for softwares and make this panel as a dinamic plasmoide for can do more. I'm doing improvvisation.

How you could actually improve the KickOff?

It does not waste space, in contrary, it use space very wisely (unless you resize it too wide (=over 500px).
It is designed to work with mouse, touchpad and touchscreens.

It is accurate for new users, experienced users, old people (hand motions are shaky) and for people who has problem to move mouse as accurate as avarage FPS gamer

The icons size is almost perfect, what causes less mistakes.
The order is such that user need to move very little the mouse in horisontal (left/right) what is less accurate than vertical direction (forward/backward).

The grid formation would cause that the reading is more difficult, sub-category icons makes icons itself harder to see (why to place something over good looking and familiar icon? Why add a small icon what would add clutter?)

There is small change to improve KickOff, it is to make the applications -tab "back" button work as well when having the KickOff in left side of the screen or middle of the screen (you can not just swipe mouse to left edge of screen and click).

When Novell desiged the KickOff menu, it was based to their usability tests. If I remember correctly, over 95% users did never need the Applications menu but only the favorites. Avarage Joe users has only few applications what they use. They do not have dozens of different applications in use.

On smartphones like iPhone, you need grid because you can have almost hundreds of applications. The Grid is not there because it is best, but because screen size is limited, the scrolling is limited and usually one application does one thing, so you do not have a application what does multiple things at once.

[quote="Fri13"][/quote]
I read the novell study.
I can agree about the use of favorites. But i disagree with other points.
For example i never found someone that had problems on "aim" a little icon respectly a bigger icon. If someone can't read, I think he must increase font dimension.
Wathever, kde is know for his highly customization, but kick off doesn't have one option for configure it.

I do really like the idea of showing icons. Kickoff should have the option to switch to an "icon view" if a user wants to. Getting rid of the favorites tab though is IMO a very bad idea, as its a very useful tool.

That could be good for a netbook or something with touch screen (the current is more like kbfx than vista to be fair)

ps: dont know if this idea is different from the plasma shelf too

So someone have another idea?
I think could be nice to can set dimension on subdirectories. I don't like big icons except for categories.
Kde can't have a menu that can't be customized.

ArtX wrote:So someone have another idea?

I think you were on to something, you just needed some better mockups and I got rid of your idea to remove the favorites tab and add the +/- to resize. Here's what I came up with.

brainstorm.php#idea89572

Still the original idea is yours, I just think that your two other changes is what made this so unpopular.