[design] Review of the new call window
@sjoerds
Submitted by Sjoerd Simons Link to original bug (#671882)
Description
Created attachment 209468 new call dialog
Similar to the new accounts dialog previously find. Quick list of issues i see when testing the updated new call window.
Two main points:
- A dialog that combines both searching contacts and entering freeform strings is confusing
- There is no way to select what account to use to call someone. If i pick a merged contact empathy will randomly choose a way to call them. Compare with for example gnome-contacts or the Nokia N900 or N9, where one always first selects a contact and then the method of contacting.
Some issues are shown in the attached screenshot.
- In this case we have two available Aruns (this is a cornercase). As there is no tooltip on hover like in the contact list it's impossible to determine which Arun is which.
- If these contacts would be merged a random account would be used to call
- There is also an arun@voip.collabora.co.uk entry that magically appears, without any indication of what it represents.
- If i enable to sip accounts for landlines, i get: arun@voip.account1.net and arun@voip.account2.net appearing. Which is very confusing and took me some time to realize what's going on here.
- When i put badger@badger.net in the search box a badger@badger.net i can call appears in the list, without any hints of what it may do. For me it could potententially start an xmpp call or call that identifier on one of my online SIP accounts (it seems to do the latter).
- The call buttons in the list (webcam & mic) behave differently then the ones in the contact list. (no menu to pick how to call)
- It talks about contact identifiers, but surely it search in aliases as well (also what is an identifier)
As always i'm not a designer, i'm just a poor user :p.. My solutions would be: 0) Always a step to select the account to use for call after the initial selection of a contact. Note that the N9 does this even if there is only one account applicable so one always knows what's going on (whether that's good is debatable.). If you want to go one step further, only have one call button and have the second step select audio only or audio + video. e.g: [ Video call badger using Gtalk ] [ Audio call badger using Gtalk ]
- Don't display the freeform string in the search listview between the other contacts. Either really seperate things and have new
call just be the freeform string (maybe with a dialpad etc) with a
<search contacts button>
or have the listview be something like:
- direct call * <text in the entry (by default selected)>
- matching contacts *
<list of contacts>
I think my final consideration of this all would be that i think/suspect the new call/chat widget would be primarily for calling/chatting people not on the contact list. In case one would like to call a contact it seems unlikely that instead of using the contact list you would select the menu entry in the contact list which once again shows you a contact list :p
Attachment 209468, "new call dialog":
Version: 3.3.x