UI

[Jim McCall]

It is not that I can't browse music folder, it is that there is no dedicated
"browse" button and that all the browse/search functions are combined with
the utilities like settings - which is kind of a no-no in UI to have
important groups of items which have radically different functions..
__

>> I am surprised that there is no browse button. Considering that is a primary
>> function, lumping the various kinds of browsing/searching with settings and
>> the like seems to be a poor idea. It forces you to go back up the tree using
>> the remote and makes it difficult to see all the kinds of browsing at once.
>> There are 10 menu items, 7 of which are content related.
>
>
> You can't "browse music folder" ? You might go into the slimserver web
> interface and modify the player settings. You can change which menus
> appear.
>
>
>
>
>> Searching: searching using a given letter produces results of content with
>> that letter anywhere in the name. For instance, searching for an artist using
>> "e" would return cranberries, elvis, REM, enya, larry coryell. I can't see
>> that this search result would be useful in any way. I would have expected
>> that the search would have used a "starts with" search mode rather than a
>> "contains" mode.
>>
>
>
> I think I hear you with the search... but just to be sure, you have tried
> entering more than one letter right?

To spell with the numeric keyboard is cumbersome and slow. I would rather
suggest that you would type a letter and start scrolling through lists of
artists that start with that letter. Similar to how my sorting/search
utility works in entourage: that by typing in the first letter or letters in
the text entry field, you limit the search results in the window below.

[dean]

UI

We had to make some hard trade-offs when choosing which buttons to add
to the remote. The more you add, the more confusing the remote.

Browse was left off because the it's a shortcut (i.e. you can navigate
there without the button) and because the browse menu choices are at
the top-most menu near the top. But it is a frequent destination and
bears consideration for its own button, like Search.

I'd be interested to hear from other folks what buttons they think
could be removed and what buttons might be added. We may have the
opportunity to change the remote in the future.

-dean

On Aug 25, 2004, at 3:58 PM, Jim McCall wrote:

> It is not that I can't browse music folder, it is that there is no
> dedicated
> "browse" button and that all the browse/search functions are combined
> with
> the utilities like settings - which is kind of a no-no in UI to have
> important groups of items which have radically different functions..
> __
>
>>> I am surprised that there is no browse button. Considering that is a
>>> primary
>>> function, lumping the various kinds of browsing/searching with
>>> settings and
>>> the like seems to be a poor idea. It forces you to go back up the
>>> tree using
>>> the remote and makes it difficult to see all the kinds of browsing
>>> at once.
>>> There are 10 menu items, 7 of which are content related.
>>
>>
>> You can't "browse music folder" ? You might go into the slimserver
>> web
>> interface and modify the player settings. You can change which menus
>> appear.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>> Searching: searching using a given letter produces results of
>>> content with
>>> that letter anywhere in the name. For instance, searching for an
>>> artist using
>>> "e" would return cranberries, elvis, REM, enya, larry coryell. I
>>> can't see
>>> that this search result would be useful in any way. I would have
>>> expected
>>> that the search would have used a "starts with" search mode rather
>>> than a
>>> "contains" mode.
>>>
>>
>>
>> I think I hear you with the search... but just to be sure, you have
>> tried
>> entering more than one letter right?
>
> To spell with the numeric keyboard is cumbersome and slow. I would
> rather
> suggest that you would type a letter and start scrolling through lists
> of
> artists that start with that letter. Similar to how my sorting/search
> utility works in entourage: that by typing in the first letter or
> letters in
> the text entry field, you limit the search results in the window below.
>
>
>
>
>

[Daryle A. Tilroe]

UI

dean blackketter wrote:

> I'd be interested to hear from other folks what buttons they think could
> be removed and what buttons might be added. We may have the opportunity
> to change the remote in the future.

I don't know if you have had a chance to read my enhancement suggestion:

http://bugs.slimdevices.com/show_bug.cgi?id=509

I realize it's not about changing the remote per se but rather tweaking
the behaviour of the 'Play' button. Any comments on how this would
help or hinder the UI experience?

As for buttons I don't know if I would spend to much time on it
since I suspect a lot of folks are using some sort of universal
remote anyhow. I know I have mine set up to that the 'add' function
is at the center of the "DVD" navigation cluster of arrows.
Possibly a dedicated remove button might be useful but one quickly
learns the 'hold add' action. Really I would work on the layout
though. For example 'Now Playing' could be more prominent with a
position nearer the thumb.

--
Daryle A. Tilroe

[Mike Kozlowski]

UI

On Wed, 25 Aug 2004, Jim McCall wrote:

> It is not that I can't browse music folder, it is that there is no dedicated
> "browse" button and that all the browse/search functions are combined with
> the utilities like settings - which is kind of a no-no in UI to have
> important groups of items which have radically different functions..

It's the top-level menu -- all the relevant stuff is one click away. I'd
be irritated if I had to go Browse -> Browse Music Folders -> [etc]; an
extra button push for what reason?

--
Mike Kozlowski

http://www.klio.org/mlk/

[dean]

UI

Hi Daryle,

On Aug 25, 2004, at 6:21 PM, Daryle A. Tilroe wrote:
>> I'd be interested to hear from other folks what buttons they think
>> could be removed and what buttons might be added. We may have the
>> opportunity to change the remote in the future.
>
> I don't know if you have had a chance to read my enhancement
> suggestion:
>
> http://bugs.slimdevices.com/show_bug.cgi?id=509
>
> I realize it's not about changing the remote per se but rather tweaking
> the behaviour of the 'Play' button. Any comments on how this would
> help or hinder the UI experience?
I did read the bug report and I'm thinking about it.

I'm hesitant to change the basic behavior of the play button, but at a
minimum, your suggestion of ignoring the first press when waking up
from the screensaver is a good one.

One thing to know is that press and hold of PLAY is already used by
Moodlogic, but that's not set in stone.


> As for buttons I don't know if I would spend to much time on it
> since I suspect a lot of folks are using some sort of universal
> remote anyhow.
Well, I do sweat the details and I'm fairly sure that a good majority
of our customers do use the included remote.

> I know I have mine set up to that the 'add' function
> is at the center of the "DVD" navigation cluster of arrows.
We considered putting a button in the middle of the navigation arrows,
but we found a couple of things:

1. On our remote, the presence of that button slowed down navigation
considerably. Having the empty space between buttons was easier to
move your thumb across than having to skip over the button.
2. It got accidentally pressed fairly often.

> Possibly a dedicated remove button might be useful but one quickly
> learns the 'hold add' action. Really I would work on the layout
> though. For example 'Now Playing' could be more prominent with a
> position nearer the thumb.
That was another tough choice. We chose to put it in the corner
because it was a place that was easy to find without looking.
Unfortunately, it requires a bit of contortion to actually get the
thumb down there (especially if you are left handed, like me.)

I'm not trying to convince you that our earlier choices were best, but
just let you know about the thought behind them. Keep it coming!

-dean

[Dave Pilgrim]

UI

dean blackketter wrote:

> Well, I do sweat the details and I'm fairly sure that a good majority
> of our customers do use the included remote.
>
>
> -dean
>
I for one use the included remote as it has a good feel and I find my
universal remote - which I use for most everything else in the house -
just gets too complicated for the sort of frequent usage pattern I tend
to have when listening to music through the SB. My question is would it
be possible to include a special button (possibly coloured in some
distinctive way) that was user programmable from the slimserver to go
directly to any of the locations within the menu structure. In my case
I would like one-button access to Browse Artists, 'cos that's the way I
almost always go into my music. Others may go via albums or songs or
whatever. If I am in "Now Playing" and suddenly get an urge to play a
particular track I have to go into the menu structure and then up or
down and then across, etc. One-touch access to the place I want to
normally go would be a neat capability for me.

dp