Extension Manager:UI Update: Difference between revisions

Extension Manager:UI Update (view source)

Revision as of 22:34, 27 January 2010

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 This wiki will serve as a planning page for a redesign of the Add-ons Manager for Firefox 3.7.
-== Past work  ==
+=== Past work  ===
 ::''Main article: [[Extension_Manager:UI_Update_oldversion#Past_work|past work]]''
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 http://people.mozilla.com/~madhava/files/addons/manager/2007-08-21/am1.png
-== Goals ==
+=== Current Add-ons Manager  ===
-::''Main article: [[Extension_Manager:UI_Update_oldversion#Prioritized_Goals|prioritized goals]]''
+::''Main article: [[Extension_Manager:UI_Update_oldversion#Current_Add-ons_Manager|Current Add-ons Manager]]''
+=== Goals ===
+::''Main article: [[Extension_Manager:UI_Update_oldversion#Prioritized_Goals|Prioritized Goals]]''
+::''Main article: [[Extension_Manager:UI_Update_oldversion#Redesign_Themes|Redesign Themes]]''
 There are five main areas of the add-ons manager that this redesign will involve:
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 | 5. Troubleshooting
 |}
-== Current Add-ons Manager  ==
-=== Positives  ===
-;Pre-populated Featured Add-ons
-:The current design's constant inclusion of five featured add-ons provides a benefit especially to new users, by giving them both an idea of what add-ons can do and possibly suggesting one he is interested in downloading. This also provides a huge benefit to the developers whose add-ons are featured
-;AMO-wide Search
-:The add-ons manager allows users to search through all add-ons on AMO, get search results back within the add-ons manager, and install them - all without visiting AMO. This is excellent functionality for people who know exactly what add-on they want to install. Unfortunately, because this feature is not very discoverable, many experienced users are not aware it exists.
-=== Negatives  ===
-;Category confusion
-:Add-ons are currently categorized by terms such as "extensions" and "add-ons," which are similar to each other and not necessarily meaningful to users. While some separation of add-ons by category is probably necessary, expanding the correct category is currently the only way to find a desired add-on. This leads to the common current user behavior of clicking categories until he finds the add-on he is looking for, rather than finding it obvious where the desired add-on will be.
-;Finding an add-on is difficult
-:related to the above, currently category selection and then scanning is the only way to locate a particular add-on. In many cases, the user knows exactly the name of the add-on he wants to find, but not what category it is in. Compounding this problem, users sometimes go to the Preferences page first, which handle similar issues as many add-ons.
-;Little room for add-on information
-:Add-ons are currently displayed in one line each, with a one sentence description. Potentially useful information such as the author, size, or options for an add-on are not displayed.
-;Redundancy, especially in installing updates<br>
-:Currently the category pages say if updates are available, and a separate Updates tab does as well. A "Find Updates" button on category pages links to the Updates page.
-;Inconsistency
-:The current add-ons manager looks very much unlike other parts of Firefox's UI. The user encounters interactions in the add-ons manager that they do not see anywhere else in Firefox, leading to the user taking longer to complete a task.
-== Redesign Themes  ==
-=== Distraction and Interruption  ===
-A large theme in the add-ons redesign will be the attention of the user - especially when to insist on it and to what degree.
-A common criticism of the current add-ons manager design is that it demands the attention of the user too often, and especially when the user is engaged in another task. For instance, when the user launches Firefox, he often is presented with an add-ons manager window announcing that updates are available and suggesting that the user download them at that moment. Since the user is launching Firefox, it's reasonable to assume he has a task in mind to perform and that his intention is unlikely to be installing add-on updates. The appearance of the add-ons manager window over the main Firefox content area presents a break in the users' workflow by forcing him to take an action before he can begin the task he intended.
-The balance of when the add-ons manager should be prominent and when it should recede from focus will be a challenging one to strike. The management of add-ons itself can be thought of as a "background" task, removed from everyday browsing, much as the Preference menu should be. Aside from some maintenance and configuration of a user's add-ons, the user should expect add-ons to perform their intended function without requiring much care or maintenance on their part.
-As with bookmarks, preferences, and many other parts of Firefox, some users will want to optimize and micromanage their add-ons manager to tailor-make the best browsing experience for them. Others will want to install a few add-ons and never have to deal with the add-ons manager ever again. A successful add-ons manager redesign will allow an add-ons user to be on either side and have a good user experience. The current add-ons manager could be said to cater to the micromanaging add-ons user: it often alerts users of new updates and provides many configuration options for individual add-ons. Ideally, if a user wants updates for a particular trusted add-on to be installed silently and automatically, he should have this option.
-Some of the add-ons manager functions should not disrupt the user unless summoned, other should give notifications subtly, while others need to divert the attention of the user to them.
-Functions that should not disrupt the user:
-*The appearance of the add-ons manager itself. While there may be links to the add-ons manager within the browser (for instance on the Home Tab), the user should not see the add-ons manager unless they've summoned it.
-Functions that should give notifications subtly:
-*When updates are available. The availability of updates should not get in the way of user's browsing experience or present obstructions that force the user to act. The user should be given the ability to make updates for a particular add-on or all add-ons install automatically.
-Functions that should actively seek the user's attention:
-*Steps in the add-ons installation process. Each step should actively focus the user's attention on the next step. Anyone should be able to install an add-on after four shots of whisky.
-*Confirmation that a user has chosen to uninstall an add-on, as well as any warning about preferences that will be lost as a result.
-*Notification that an add-on has been automatically disabled or uninstalled because of a security vulnerability, as well as a link to more information about the specific case.
-One way current applications handle the tasks which should give notifications subtly is by providing a small cue which, if the user choose to act on it, launches into a dedicated task related to the notice. This way, once a user sees the cue, they can choose to ignore it or switch tasks to find out more about the cue. In the add-ons manager redesign, this would be the transition from a subtle notification to the add-ons manager itself. The balance to strike is to not make the cue too distracting for users who want to ignore it, but to also make it noticeable enough for users who wish to act on it.
-<br> [[Image:Smallnotification tolarge.png]]
-== Focus on Tasks rather than Add-ons  ==
-Add-ons are one of the biggest benefits of using Firefox over other browsers. While other browsers are beginning to offer add-ons and develop communities around them, none of them yet come close to approaching the diversity and scale of Mozilla's add-ons community. However, only about 30% of Firefox users currently have any add-ons installed.
-While getting every Firefox user to install add-ons is not the goal, making them more accessible to more users would benefit both users and developers. A common criticism of the current add-ons manager is that it is easy to find an add-on by name, but less so by functionality. This redesign will seek ways for users to find add-ons based on how they browse or functionality they want rather than only by add-on type.
 == Wireframes ==

Extension Manager:UI Update: Difference between revisions

Extension Manager:UI Update (view source)

Revision as of 22:34, 27 January 2010

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