[sldev] build 3109

[Melinda Green]

Mike Monkowski wrote:
> Melinda Green wrote:
>> Mike Monkowski wrote:
>>
>>> Melinda Green wrote:
>>>
>>>> Even two buttons can often be too much clutter which is why I 
>>>> implemented the snapshot "Save As" using a flyout button with only 
>>>> two options. Adding a single button may not seem like a big deal, 
>>>> but ever visible control requires some level of user attention and 
>>>> is therefore a serious cost. The whole point of the 2.0 viewer is 
>>>> to flatten the learning curve by reducing that clutter.
>>>
>>>
>>> Reducing the clutter is a noble goal, but flyout buttons do have a 
>>> discoverability issue, so they're more likely to steepen the 
>>> learning curve rather than flatten it. 
>>
>>
>> A flyout button won't steepen the learning curve because it will be 
>> no more confusing that it is currently. Discoverability of the new 
>> functionality is certainly a consideration, but once learned in one 
>> context, users will quickly discover (and expect) it in others.
>
> OK, I may be just an exception, but it was months before I 
> accidentally clicked on the triangle next to "Say" and discovered the 
> "Shout" and "Whisper."  I've now been using SL for years but just 
> recently noticed the flyout on "Communicate" while I was working with 
> the UI code.  Was that there the whole time?

I don't know, but these flyout options are clearly power-user features 
similar to right-click actions. They should never be required for normal 
operation, and given that you've gotten along so far without the ones 
you mentioned, it seems to have worked. The holy grail UI is one in 
which  new users only see the common important elements, yet still 
allows more experienced users to discover helpful new tips and tricks. I 
think that the flyout button is underused in this way which is probably 
why it took me so long to think of using it as a unified P2P control.

-Melinda