[TYPO3-hci] Innovate - don't imitate

[Lasse Norby]

Hi JoH..
JoH asenau Wrote:

> One of the core features of AJAX (and part of the acronym) is the fact that
> you can deliver stuff asynchronous which basically means, anything can
> happen on demand.
> You can change even the smallest part of a website (and the TYPO3 BE is
> nothing else but a website) whenever necessary, making the whole web
> application change it's appearance to give the user only those things that
> might be useful in the current context.
Now THAT sounds really interesting! :-)


> Keeping this in mind, could you explain, why one would still need a fully
> blown DHTML menu with 2 or more levels? Just because it's looking cool, when
> the layers are opened and closed with a fading effect? 
Well.. Nobody said it has to DHTML. Nobody said it has to fade. And 
nobody said fading looks cool ;-)
It's all usability and consistency imho!
Every other application has a menu in the top - maybe it's not used, but 
it is a good "backup" if you get lost. And it takes what - MAX 30px??
It's not that I'm a "topmenu fanatic" but I see some huge benefits of 
using a small area in top of the screen, for something users know how to 
use.


> Wouldn't it be good
> to have just a main menu that would open only one level of the active item
> on demand using AJAX technology? Wouldn't it be even better to have no menu
> at all but links, buttons or icons spread over completely different places,
> which are not directly connected to a "level" but positioned for a real
> improvement of usability instead?
It sounds very promising.. It's kinda hard to imagine how it would work 
though. Is it possible that you could make a *quick* mockup of your 
thoughts?? I would really like to grasp this concept..


> IMHO it would be a great innovation to get rid of this level based "website
> way" of thinking and create a completely new approach to this web based
> _application_ called TYPO3.
> With real interaction between the user and the interface to give people a
> completely new experience because the application is helping them to cope
> with their daily tasks instead of surpassing their capabilities.
Again, sounds very cool, but still, the users need to be able to use 
this help provided to them.
If made in a clever way, with the user in focus - it could be super!! If 
not, well...


> So what do you think?
> Could it be worth to open our minds and throw away the old school stuff?
> After all this is what design is about: Take what is already there and
> create something better out of it.
YES!!


> So where are the inventors and designers?
> Anybody willing to accept the challenge?
I'm game! :-)


> Let's show that we can do more than just implement a new hype technology to
> achieve the same old stuff.
CAN WE FIX IT? YES WE CAN!!

> Joey
> 
> PS: Of course this isn't something that could be achieved by just one
> person.
> So if there are some more people interested in a new approach to HCI I would
> like to setup a team for a proof of concept.
> I'm not that good as a coder so I would like to offer my experience for the
> design/CSS part.
Hmm.. I'm not at all good at coding.. Never been, and never will be..

Lasse