Gnome Shell is a graphical desktop environment for Linux distributions. It provides multiple functions for users to manage windows and their desktop environment. In the latest version, it also provides a panel where users can search for installed applications on their systems and helps launching them. The earliest version of Gnome Shell came out in August 1997 as a free software project to compete with KDE desktop environment. The latest stable version of Gnome Shell is 3.2.2 which came out in November of 2011. The new family of Gnome shell 3.x has been modified noticeably compared to the previous versions which has some usability issues in my view that need to be addressed and possibly fixed in future versions. In this post, we will look into some of these usability issues.
Attached Modal Dialog Box
Let me first start with this new modification: attached dialog boxes. In user interface design, dialog boxes are simple windows that query some informaion from the user. For example, if you would like to upload a file online, you will need to select a file first. In most online forms, there is a browse button that you can click and then you will be presented with a dialog box where you can browse through your file system and select your file. There are two different types of dialog boxes: modal, non-modal. Modal dialog boxes will require you to interact with them before returning to the main window. In the case of some browsers, you may not be able to return from the file dialog box to the browser before cancelling the operation or selecting a file. Prior to Gnome Shell 3.0, the default method of handling such cases was to have the modal dialog box separated from the main window so that the user would be able to move the modal dialog box around in case if they would need to look under the dialog box. Unfortunately, the new Gnome Shell has changed this. The modal dialog box is now attached to the main window which means that you cannot move the dialog box. Modal dialog boxes are very common and they are used in so many graphical user interfaces. In some cases, in order to enter the right information, the user needs to look at the main form. For example, imagine a website where you would need to upload two different files and for each file there is a browse button. The upper field belongs to an image file and the lower field belongs to a data file. If we are not paying attention and we click on the upper browse button without noticing what must go in the upper field, then we would like to move the dialog box around in order to figure out what file we need to select! But in the case of Gnome Shell 3.x, you cannot do this. The dialog box is attached to the main window and you cannot move it around. You need to cancel the file dialog and look at the browser page again. This is not convenient at all. In my oppinion, the Gnome Shell must return to its previous style where the dialog boxes are not attached to the main window.
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| This snapshot shows a modal dialog box that is attached to the browser and it is impossible to move it |
Hidden Shut Down Button
Most people like software that is easy to use out of the box. When you first see a software user interface, you may have some ideas of how to perform some tasks. It is not always the case and for bigger applications, it is not always easy. Sometimes, you need to browse and look for a feature. Prior to Gnome Shell 3.x, the previous versions of Gnome had a Shut Down button under the System menu. Even if you were a new user, this feature was very easy to find. I was unable to find the Shut Down button on the first day I installed Gnome Shell 3.x. I had to use my physical power button on my laptop to get to the shut down window. I introduced Gnome Shell 3 to a friend of mine and he also had trouble shutting down his computer. I knew this feature cannot be taken out of the interface. I decided to look for it but after spending hours, I decided to read the documentation. It turns out that when you click on the main menu at the upper right corner of the screen, there is a suspend button but if you hold the "alt" key on your keyboard, it changes to "Power Off". I personally do not think this is a good design decision. It is absolutely not a bad idea to add a Shut Down button to the main menu.
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| This snapshot shows the main menu at the top right corner of the screen. As you can see there is no Shutdown button or anything similar. |
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| This snapshot shows the Power Off.. menu item. This happens after holding the alt key. |
Offline or Online ?
One of the most important aspects of user interface design is consistency. We would like the information presented to us to be correct and consistent across the interface. Unfortunately, this is also an issue with Gnome Shell 3.x. When you close the lid on your laptop then depending on your power settings, your system might enter the hibernation state. Now you may leave your laptop and come back to it and when you open it up now, the system wakes up and it tries to establish a wireless connection with a wireless host. This process might fail or it might be successful. In any case, your desktop interface must update you with the right information and the status of your connection. In the next snapshot you will notice that at the top-right corner of the screen the wireless icon is online, however, at the bottom of the screen, the desktop states that the system is offline! The easiest way to figure this out is to open a browser and try to load a website and see if it works. This issue must be fixed!
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| Inconsistent information about the connection status of the system. At the top right corner of the screen, the connection is shown to be online but at the bottom it says "you are now offline." |
Alt-Tab Behaviour
This issue is my own opinion and some people might not agree with me which is fine because everyone has their own preferences. In all standard desktop environments, holding the alt-tab keys at the same time lets you switch between the "visible" windows. Linux desktop environments usually have multiple desktops and users can usually switch between these desktop panels using "Ctrl+Alt+(Arrow Keys)". Each panel has some active windows and this was done to make it easier for users to separate their work into multiple desktop environments. Prior to Gnome Shell 3.x, the Alt-Tab keys would help users switch between the windows of the current desktop panel. Starting with Gnome Shell 3.x, this behaviour has changed and now you would be iterating through all the windows in all the panels. If you had two terminals open in different panels, it would be hard to tell which terminal window belongs to which panel. I used to be a heavy user of Alt-Tab and multiple desktop panels and I find this new behaviour extremely annoying.
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| This screenshot shows the problem with the new alt-tab behaviour. As you can see, I have two options to choose from and they are in different desktop panels. They both look the same! |
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