Specification
From Printing
Contents |
Linux Printing UI Specification
Project state: not dead, just resting
As of the openPrinting summit 2010, in San Francisco, the state of the common print dialog interaction design is as follows.
known usability defects
In April 2010, based on the preliminary UI specification, a rough KDE implementation had been readied for usability testing, by relevantive AG, Berlin. The results of these usability tests were presented at the summit and in general validated the interaction design concepts, like the preview and the aggregated (instead of exclusive, i.e. tabbed) view of different print parameters. However, the tests also showed usability issues with the presets and tagging concepts, and with some of the parameters representations.
Apart from these outstanding issues, the print dialog is also not specified for every type of mainstream printer, for instance large format plotter types.
not ready for implementation
It is therefore that the usability specialists at relevantive and the interaction architects at m+mi works have to conclude that the usability of the current interaction design is not sufficient to warrant implementation.
Developers fix bugs in their code. Interaction architects fix usability issues in their concepts. To do so, m+mi works has worked out, in cooperation with relevantive, a plan to finalise the interaction design. This involves user surveying, UI redesign and usability tests. Quite straightforward, just solid usability and interaction design work.
get moving
What is lacking at the moment is support, beyond words. Of those with commercial interest in, or other plain dependencies on, a modern printing infrastructure for linux, i.e.:
- the linux distributions;
- the KDE and GNOME desktop environments;
- the linux community organisations;
- the printer manufacturers;
- leading open source applications;
- large linux end-user organisations.
Any of these would ride the wave of a modern common printing dialog. None of them is forthcoming with funding, for what actually makes the cpd work: the interaction design and usability.
Until that is resolved, the common print dialog is simply just resting.
Detailed Specification
Part One: Dialog Structure and Strategies
- Dialog Structure and Layout
- Working with Different Platforms and Themes
- Colours and Fonts
- Level 2 - Layout Principals
- Level 3 - Layout Principals
- Level 3.5 - Layout Principals
- Laying out the Parameters
- Layout Strategies for Small Screens and Full Screens
- Layout Strategies for Netbooks and Other Small Screens
- Layout Strategies for When the Dialog Hits the Buffers
Part Two: Zone by Zone Descriptions
- Level 2 Dialog zones and content
- Printer zone
- Presets zone
- Review zone
- Universal Controls Zone
- Dialog Controls Zone
- Level 3 Dialog zones and content
- Presets Zone
- Configuration Matrix Zone
- Parameters Zone
- Configuration Matrix Zone
- Universal Controls Zone
- Dialog Controls Zone
- Level 3.5 Dialog extended zones and content
- Parameters Zone
- Universal Controls Zone
- Dialog Controls Zone
