I've been a while trying to figure out how to say
this, but I'm with Tim. No matter how many different documents you have open
the question is what happens when you get down to that last document.
Now, up to this point the user has used File->Close to close single documents
and File->Exit to close all documents and exit the program. He is not
suprised when File->Close closes the single document, so there is no
warning. Yet if he were to File->Exit, there are multiple windows open
and he would be caught by suprise if they were all gone, so there is a warning.
When he gets to that last document. he expects File->Exit to close the
program. Why is it he should also suddenly expect File->Close to close
his last document and the program as well. Yet when he does close that last
window, Close and Exit act exactly the same, whamo! all gone.
It has been suggested that the user would be suprised by the opening of a
new, blank document when he closes the last document. Yet practice has shown
that the suprise comes when there is not another instance of Abi available on File->Close. He is on his last document, and he wants to Close his document, not Exit
AbiWord. So what sould be wrong with Abi opening another document for him.
He can then use that blank to open an existing document, or begin a new one,
just as if he were starting from scratch.
It has also been suggested that it is "extremely bad UI practice" to put
another warning dialog in. We are talking about a warning on the last open
document if the user uses File->Close instead of File->Exit. At this
point he is on his last document, and he expects File->Exit to close the
entire program. However, he expects File->Close to close just that document.
Currently he gets exactly the opposite behavior, he loses the entire program!
So what is wrong with a warning at this point?
I think the choice is really one of these two, and it is not unreasonable
to believe the user would want another document opened for him, or if not,
a warning that this action will not just close that doc, but will exit the whole business.
The user shouldn't have to work for it either. He shouldn't have to remember
to open another document before he closes his last doc. He doesn't have to
in any other word processor. He also shouldn't have to find some new, unfamilliar,
Close & Open or Close & New command. He shouln't have to wonder why
Close has suddenly disappeared from his menu options.
Bottom line
__________
Give the user what he naturally expects, and what he has been trained by
multiple word processor interfaces to expect, that is, a ready way to get
back into working on another document when he closes his last document, because
if he wanted to exit, he would have exited.
Scott Bingman
- Re: POW user suggestion/FAQ--why the MSDI interface Scott Bingman
