Jump to content

Thoughts on 0.9.3 (17496)'s UI changes


Recommended Posts

Since I have a desire to keep things organized and be able to to keep track of what was changed when, here's a new thread for this new build.

http://img.skitch.com/20091208-bc1dduap7ed4bw91hnyxi2y6e.jpg - Attack of the Arrows

1-3, 11-15: These icons still suck. Very very badly. An improvement over the last version, but thats not saying much. Its not windows. Stop trying to make it look like it is.

4. You can pull anywhere on the bar. This indicator makes it seem like that isn't the case. Its useless and confusing. Get rid of it.

5. Not lined up. Seriously? The Y coordinates didn't even change from the one above it.

6, 10. Why is this centered? Why is it still missing a line separating the bar from the rest of the app?

7. Two font colors are used. Make it all black. And don't have so many font sizes in the view. It didn't look good before, it doesn't look good now.

8. Its still not identical to Safari's download progress bar. Make it so. How it is now just looks awkward and hideous.

9. Don't center everything. Make it all left-justified. Its how *every other app behaves*. Including µTorrent.

16. What the hell is the transition it does when clicked/unclicked? It doesn't work. Its distracting and annoying. Three frames doesn't make a smooth animation, just have on and off.

17. Why are you not obeying the system highlight color?

http://img.skitch.com/20091208-etgfjj7ctxbhuneuxn2js6pifr.jpg - A Brief Reprise

1. What the hell is this bar supposed to represent? Why is there a white line there? I'm assuming pieces or something similar, but its completely unintuitive. And micromanaging torrents is bad. Its useless information *we dont need to see*. Don't bother showing it.

2. See number 7 in point above

3. Too much space. Also, see number 7 in point above.

http://img.skitch.com/20091209-dr8p8r8jj3h3sdn3dc6w5fqk1h.jpg - An introduction to why NSOutlineView is good:

1. Why is this pixelated? Why are you even using custom icons for this?

2. See number 17 in the first image

3. See number 8 in the first image. This is even worse.

http://img.skitch.com/20091208-dtftya8krcgxk4pwsxq6iecebh.jpg - Enough Said

http://img.skitch.com/20091208-di5ixdasj9x2iyw9jgcx3c5cip.jpg - Icon uglification, 2.0

1. See 1-3, 11-15 in the first image

Can't be bothered to make a screenshot + arrows for:

1. You can drag the left sidebar all the way to the left to hide it, but only halfway across the screen. The bottom bar, on the other hand, can be dragged all the way to the top of the screen but not down to hide it. Inconsistency.

2. Minimum window size changed. Its ridiculously big now. Especially when the sidebar/bottom view are hidden.

3. The alternate color for rows is far too difficult to make out. It almost looks like I'm seeing things instead. Just use a standard NSTableView. Seriously.

tl;dr: Prettier then Vuze, uglier than Transmission. Icons still suck. 30% (well, 31% if you want to be pedantic about math) less complaints then the last version. Still too many. Would be nice if you (whoever was working on the UI) was on IRC so I could talk directly.

Also, some of @Zandros' thoughts here are still applicable.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

I think the main problem with the Mac interface isn't all these little things - it's that the application hasn't been designed well for what it actually does. This might be overlooked on Windows but just does not work in a Mac environment.

uTorrent's focus is downloading torrents. Not storing and accessing torrents downloaded months prior (all uTorrent screenshots I've seen have only shown torrents either waiting to be downloaded, being actively downloaded or seeded) as most users don't store torrents they don't need anymore. So why design uTorrent like an application with a primary focus of storing data like iTunes or iPhoto? This is why Transmission's interface /just works/ - the developers considered what type of application Transmission was when designing the interface.

Thus:

- You don't need an always visible sorting system, Transmission handles this well by only showing filters when the search field is active (or at least this is what I've set it to).

- You don't need advanced information permanently visible - see above.

And on general Mac interface design:

- Why have two buttons that essentially do the same thing (add torrent and add from URL), both options open an interaction panel so why not have the user choose there - this is also a problem with Transmission. I like how Fkm7b5c moved the add button down the bottom - it's much better (and more Mac-like) down there.

- Again, but only really my opinion - not a suggestion: the whole top bar is unnecessary, the start/pause buttons can be moved inline somewhere (think iTunes 9 Store song previews) and a delete button isn't necessary - the delete key and a right click menu will suffice (think iTunes again)

Finally: Fkm7b5c's torrent list design is great - it looks extremely Mac-like and I have just a few tiny issues with it - I'd love to see it actually implemented in uTorrent.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Haha, yeap. I've got no idea what the developers want (in terms of user experience) from the app. What is the main focus of the app? Download, organise, seed, etc? This is usually the problem with most applications. Anything and everything is displayed. The screen area is precious. If it has no reason to be there, then it should not be there. A great example will be Safari. Look at it's default toolbar. See how dynamic it is. Einstein believes in simplicity too. =)

Thus I've only modified to the image above, giving it a more mac-like layout. Giving an overhaul of the interface will be a laborious process.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think the main problem with the Mac interface isn't all these little things - it's that the application hasn't been designed well for what it actually does. This might be overlooked on Windows but just does not work in a Mac environment.

I disagree. I think its nicely designed. Sort out the nitpicks and it'll work out very nicely.

- You don't need an always visible sorting system, Transmission handles this well by only showing filters when the search field is active (or at least this is what I've set it to).

Safari has one. As does iTunes.

- You don't need advanced information permanently visible - see above.

Easy to fix, without overhauling the entire UI.

I actually hate the changes @Fkm7b5c's mockup. Having two rows in the cell in some places, but not all isn't consistent. Too many different colors going on in there, too many different font sizes. Too much visual clutter.

But hey, I'm not a developer for µT for mac. I'm just a (mostly) random guy. My thoughts/opinions are just that. And AFAIK, they have absolutely zero impact on what BitTorrent will go and do.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

- You don't need an always visible sorting system, Transmission handles this well by only showing filters when the search field is active (or at least this is what I've set it to).

Safari has one. As does iTunes.

Safari does not have an always visible sorting system - iTunes does because it's primary focus is to organise media - uTorrent's is to download media, not store and organise it.

The main reason I'm suggesting this "complete UI overhaul" is because there is simply too much space that is either never used (whitespace- because it's been designed as a full window application), or rarely used (advanced diagnostics, filter system). And I hate this.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...