BUG? Inconsistency in opening resources

When I open resources from the Library Panel, I can open them in three ways:

left click - Logos determines where they open
right click - I have the option of opening in a floating panel
drag and drop - I place the resource where I want it.

When I open from the ADD Panel (the usefulness of which I have just discovered), the right click option appears to be missing.

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Dave Hooton

When I open from the ADD Panel (the usefulness of which I have just discovered), the right click option appears to be missing.

It is intended/designed to use the tab you opened!

MJ. Smith

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/607415#Comment_607415

It is intended/designed to use the tab you opened!

Assuming you only wish to open one of the resources ...

And, following your logic, why provide the drag-and-drop option?

The fact remains that it is inconsistent behavior and inconsistencies lead to users seeing the interface as "not intuitive".

A concrete example of where I might well wish to open more than one:

I often open the Images of the Saints in the empty panel to the left and the Lives of Saints in the present pane.

Dave Hooton

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/607427#Comment_607427

It's not inconsistent when it gives you a choice of resources to be opened in the NEW tab. The drag and drop is a bonus, but that doesn't make it confusing.

MJ. Smith

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/607431#Comment_607431

Normal behavior on resource name/image:

hover gives preview panel
left-click Logos opens where it wants
right-click gives option to open in floating panel
drag-and-drop put resource where you want it

Behavior of resource name/image in ADD panel:

hover gives preview panel
left-click Logos opens where it wants
right-click does nothing
drag-and-drop put resource where you want it

That is inconsistency as it is any time when one has to say "x does y except in ....." in documenting the behavior. Having to use "except in ..." is a no-no in intuitive UI design except in the case where it is a logical impossible case.

Given that I am the one trying to document the behavior, why do you object to my calling it "inconsistent"? The combination of oddities that need explanation, the inconsistencies, the bugs, the design flaws and forum pushback make documenting Verbum sufficiently for a Bible study program at church a frustrating project.

MJ. Smith

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/607441#Comment_607441

Note Shneiderman's first rule:

The Eight Golden Rules are:

1. Strive for consistency.

Consistent sequences of actions should be required in similar situations; identical terminology should be used in prompts, menus, and help screens; and consistent color, layout, capitalization, fonts, and so on should be employed throughout. Exceptions, such as required confirmation of the delete command or no echoing of passwords, should be comprehensible and limited in number.

2. Cater to universal usability.

Recognize the needs of diverse users and design for plasticity, facilitating transformation of content. Novice to expert differences, age ranges, disabilities, and technological diversity each enrich the spectrum of requirements that guides design. Adding features for novices, such as explanations, and features for experts, such as shortcuts and faster pacing, can enrich the interface design and improve perceived system quality.

3. Offer informative feedback.

For every user action, there should be system feedback. For frequent and minor actions, the response can be modest, whereas for infrequent and major actions, the response should be more substantial. Visual presentation of the objects of interest provides a convenient environment for showing changes explicitly.

4. Design dialogs to yield closure.

Sequences of actions should be organized into groups with a beginning, middle, and end. Informative feedback at the completion of a group of actions gives operators the satisfaction of accomplishment, a sense of relief, a signal to drop contingency plans from their minds, and an indicator to prepare for the next group of actions. For example, e-commerce web sites move users from selecting products to the checkout, ending with a clear confirmation page that completes the transaction.

5. Prevent errors.

As much as possible, design the system such that users cannot make serious errors; for example, gray out menu items that are not appropriate and do not allow alphabetic characters in numeric entry fields. If a user makes an error, the interface should detect the error and offer simple, constructive, and specific instructions for recovery. For example, users should not have to retype an entire name-address form if they enter an invalid zip code, but rather should be guided to repair only the faulty part. Erroneous actions should leave the system state unchanged, or the interface should give instructions about restoring the state.

6. Permit easy reversal of actions.

As much as possible, actions should be reversible. This feature relieves anxiety, since the user knows that errors can be undone, and encourages exploration of unfamiliar options. The units of reversibility may be a single action, a data-entry task, or a complete group of actions, such as entry of a name-address block.

7. Support internal locus of control.

Experienced users strongly desire the sense that they are in charge of the interface and that the interface responds to their actions. They don’t want surprises or changes in familiar behavior, and they are annoyed by tedious data-entry sequences, difficulty in obtaining necessary information, and inability to produce their desired result.

8. Reduce short-term memory load.

Humans’ limited capacity for information processing in short-term memory (the rule of thumb is that we can remember "seven plus or minus two chunks" of information) requires that designers avoid interfaces in which users must remember information from one screen and then use that information on another screen. It means that cell phones should not require re-entry of phone numbers, web-site locations should remain visible, multiple-page displays should be consolidated, and sufficient training time should be allotted for complex sequences of actions.

DMB

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/607431#Comment_607431

Oh wow, you DID bring up the ADD panel. Lordy. You mean the one that has big covers on one side and little covers on the other, and no clue as to why they chose those specific covers? (I especially like the billion targums but not the other billion Biblical DSS ... thank you Logos).

Why can't they put a text box on this, and the CitedBy and do a partial-word search for the desired book?

Ok, ok. My mouth is taped shut.

Oh my ... the tape slipped off.

I tried letting Logos do the shopping ... for a place to 'land a resource' (per the other thread). In the Library, I clicked on a DSS fragment. Surprisingly, it did find the window with my Peshitta resources panel ... and carefully landed the DSS fragment. Now, it 'could' have looked just to the left at my DSS fragment index panel already open. Gee. Peshitta ... DSS Index. Peshitta!! I just can't understand what the Logos coding could possibly be???

Ok, tape's back on.

Oh, wow. This tapes really lousy.

Did I mention when it landed the DSS fragment in the Peshitta panel, that it then tried to hide the tab, so that only a tiny, tiny hint of dark blue was showing? It took me a while to actually locate the landing site. At least a tiny hint of blue was showing. Normally they hide the whole tab and then tempt you to find it, by hitting the scoll button located above the 'X' close button. I feel like Homer.

OK, two pieces of tape.

MJ. Smith

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/607444#Comment_607444

and no clue as to why they chose those specific covers?

Denise, Denise you know better than to tempt me like this. Logos' goal is to make us research Logos instead of .... Oops I wouldn't really say that would I? [;)] The left side appears to be taken from history - books and tools recently used. The right side appears to be resources linked to by the resource that had the focus when you clicked +. I suspect that there are other considerations such as have common datatype reference but I haven't proven that yet.

Dave Hooton

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/607441#Comment_607441

Given that I am the one trying to document the behavior, why do you object to my calling it "inconsistent"? The combination of oddities that need explanation, the inconsistencies, the bugs, the design flaws and forum pushback make documenting Verbum sufficiently for a Bible study program at church a frustrating project.

In general I agree with your goals.

The "Plus/Add" tab shows the tip "New tab" (when opened) so if you wanted a "new tab" elsewhere then use it from another tile/window! Therefore it is internally consistent in not providing a right-click "Open" menu, and although drag and drop may be debatable I can't see why it should it be described as "inconsistent" in this context. Just document the "New tab" for the functionality it provides.

MJ. Smith

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/607498#Comment_607498

Thanks Dave. I understand your position now.

MJ. Smith

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/607553#Comment_607553

bump this thread - no Logos response

Bradley Grainger (Logos)

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/609943#Comment_609943

Thanks for the suggestion.

fgh

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/607444#Comment_607444

Surprisingly, it did find the window with my Peshitta resources panel ... and carefully landed the DSS fragment. Now, it 'could' have looked just to the left at my DSS fragment index panel already open. Gee. Peshitta ... DSS Index. Peshitta!! I just can't understand what the Logos coding could possibly be???

There are many cases when I say the same, but in this case i can: it opens the DSS fragment in a different panel than the index for the same reason it opens commentaries in a different panel than the Passage Guide: to keep the list of links visible in case you want to open more than one. It would be very annoying to have to bring the list to the front 5 times if I wanted to open 5 links...

Normal behavior on resource name/image:

hover gives preview panel

left-click Logos opens where it wants

right-click gives option to open in floating panel

drag-and-drop put resource where you want it

Please right-click on a link in a book and show me where the Open In A Floating Window option is.[;)] I think it can be discussed what is currently the "normal" behaviour.[:)]

I agree that ideally it should be consistent everywhere, but I also agree with Dave that the main purpose of the +tab is to open something in that particular tab. Given that, this seems rather low priority compared to many other inconsistencies. Not to talk about bugs.

Graham Criddle

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/610060#Comment_610060

Please right-click on a link in a book and show me where the Open In A Floating Window option is

I think MJ is referring to how things work within, for example, the Library or Collections Tool as opposed to links within a particular resource.

The right-click doesn't work in - for example - the Passage Guide