Design principles

[almarklein]

Some notes from discussions with Andrea Minuto:

• Installation should be one step.
• Avoid asking questions to the user; every question is a hurdle
• "Take the tour" to explain different components of the interface step by step
• Tool buttons for common actions like running code. Allow users to configure easily.
• -> maybe all actions can be displayed somewhere, draggable in/out the toolbar
• different levels of ui "complexity" based on experience of the user?
• macros - templates - snippets -> powerful for beginners, searchable!
• tool buttuns should have tooltip explanation and show their shortcut!
• Auto brace completion
• On each toolbutton/menu action, show (in status bar?) what the shortcut is -> help users adopt shortcuts
• On each auto-action (e.g. autocomplete) show that this was done, with a link to configure that behavior
• editor show "preview" next to scrollbar to provide context, and draggable!
• 2D menu
• menu with search
• check out vvvv.org , sublime, calibre (ebook reader)