Help button in Unity default launcher

[Matthew East]

Binary package hint: unity

Previous editions of Ubuntu have always had a help button in the panel as one of the (very few) default launcher items. In 11.04 this button is not in the Unity launcher and I think it should be added, for several reasons:

1. Unity is a new interface and it takes people a little bit of time and some help to find out how to use it properly.
2. Some intensive work prior to (and shortly after) the release has led to a very good set of help pages which cover how to use Unity.
3. Yelp has had a face lift in version 3 and now loads *much* more quickly than it used to.
4. The documentation has had a massive overhaul and is now *much* more navigable and useful than it was.

To see the current documentation run "yelp" on an updated Natty system or browse to here:

https://help.ubuntu.com/11.04/ubuntu-help/index.html

I think that users would benefit from such an icon not only in 11.10 but also as an update to 11.04, especially given that 11.04 is the first release to feature Unity.

[Jeremy Bícha (jbicha)]

Personally, I believe there are too many launcher icons in the default launcher. I quickly run out space if I don't remove useless duplicate ones like Ubuntu One. I think the Dash really needs an overhaul and Help really ought to be more prominently featured there. Why do I need a shortcut in the Dash to my web browser when my web browser is always open?

[Matthew East (mdke)]

On 6 May 2011 07:16, Jeremy Bicha <email address hidden> wrote:
> Personally, I believe there are too many launcher icons in the default
> launcher.

That does seem to be the case but I think it deserves a separate bug
and discussion. For me, finding the help is among the most important
things a user would want to do and the justification for a launcher
for the help is very strong. That is why (I believe) previous versions
of Ubuntu have had such a launcher on the panel.

> I quickly run out space if I don't remove useless duplicate
> ones like Ubuntu One.

For reference, the bug Jeremy reported against this (which was very
abruptly closed with almost no discussion) is bug 775251.

--
Matthew East
http://www.mdke.org
gnupg pub 1024D/0E6B06FF

[Jeremy Bícha (jbicha)]

Yes, the new interface is very disconcerting to a lot of users who don't understand why their computer isn't working normally, especially ones who upgraded because their computer had a giant popup telling them to: http://doctormo.org/2011/05/02/ubuntu-insistant-upgrades-testing/

Unless a user thinks to type Help into the small Ubuntu button at the top of the screen, a user may be totally lost. They have been given no tour, no guidance as to how the interface works, which is a shame since we have a usable help guide which can help them figure out how to do things.

Power users can easily uncheck the Keep in Launcher button to get rid of the Help, so adding this won't hurt them but it will provide a lot of benefit to the lost user. And if you don't believe this lost user exists, hang out in #ubuntu for a bit as I did today; it was challenging for me to even tell the user how to find the Help app.

[Phil Bull (philbull)]

I think the conclusion with help launchers is that they should be (a) *particularly* easy to discover, to the point of being obvious, but (b) unintrusive, to avoid annoying people who don't want to use them. There can be a fine line between the two, but I think a help button on the dash sounds quite sensible.

Perhaps we should ask the designers for input?

[jhfhlkjlj (fdsuufijjejejejej-deactivatedaccount)]

Pray tell, why is this bug set to 'incomplete'? There's no lack of evidence/reproduction/user input.

[manny (estelar57)]

the attachment shows how it would look.

looks good and easy to find for new users (new to ubuntu/linux or to the Unity interface)

and this is for reference:

ubuntu help/guide (prior unity):
http://www.pendrivelinux.com/wp-content/uploads/Ubuntu-10.04.jpg

[Joaquin (jknvv13)]

I think that on the Launcher isn't a good place, maybe it's the faster, but
a user can delete it.
I think the best way, it's a big (?) Monochrome/glow icon on the Home Dash,
at the top right of the dash, just at the right of the search bar.
El 20/09/2011 06:00, "manny" <email address hidden> escribió:
> the attachment shows how it would look.
>
> looks good and easy to find for new users (new to ubuntu/linux or to the
> Unity interface)
>
>
> and this is for reference:
>
> ubuntu help/guide (prior unity):
> http://www.pendrivelinux.com/wp-content/uploads/Ubuntu-10.04.jpg
>
> ** Attachment added: "ubuntu-desktop-guide-default-in-launcher.png"
>
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/unity/+bug/778289/+attachment/2429389/+files/ubuntu-desktop-guide-default-in-launcher.png
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are subscribed to a
> duplicate bug report (853228).
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/778289
>
> Title:
> Help button in Unity default launcher
>
> Status in Ayatana Design:
> New
> Status in Unity:
> Incomplete
> Status in “unity” package in Ubuntu:
> Incomplete
>
> Bug description:
> Binary package hint: unity
>
> Previous editions of Ubuntu have always had a help button in the panel
> as one of the (very few) default launcher items. In 11.04 this button
> is not in the Unity launcher and I think it should be added, for
> several reasons:
>
> 1. Unity is a new interface and it takes people a little bit of time and
some help to find out how to use it properly.
> 2. Some intensive work prior to (and shortly after) the release has led to
a very good set of help pages which cover how to use Unity.
> 3. Yelp has had a face lift in version 3 and now loads *much* more quickly
than it used to.
> 4. The documentation has had a massive overhaul and is now *much* more
navigable and useful than it was.
>
> To see the current documentation run "yelp" on an updated Natty system
> or browse to here:
>
> https://help.ubuntu.com/11.04/ubuntu-help/index.html
>
> I think that users would benefit from such an icon not only in 11.10
> but also as an update to 11.04, especially given that 11.04 is the
> first release to feature Unity.
>
> To manage notifications about this bug go to:
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/ayatana-design/+bug/778289/+subscriptions

[Mikkel Kamstrup Erlandsen (kamstrup)]

Personally I don't think the generic help center is the right solution
for new users. We need more of a guided tour of Ubuntu and Unity.

[Phil Bull (philbull)]

The top section of the landing page of the Help Center is specifically tailored to new users. The very first link is a brief tour of Unity.

[Joaquin (jknvv13)]

Yep, but the help icon isn't easy to access
El 20/09/2011 12:21, "Phil Bull" <email address hidden> escribió:
> The top section of the landing page of the Help Center is specifically
> tailored to new users. The very first link is a brief tour of Unity.
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are subscribed to a
> duplicate bug report (853228).
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/778289
>
> Title:
> Help button in Unity default launcher
>
> Status in Ayatana Design:
> New
> Status in Unity:
> Incomplete
> Status in “unity” package in Ubuntu:
> Incomplete
>
> Bug description:
> Binary package hint: unity
>
> Previous editions of Ubuntu have always had a help button in the panel
> as one of the (very few) default launcher items. In 11.04 this button
> is not in the Unity launcher and I think it should be added, for
> several reasons:
>
> 1. Unity is a new interface and it takes people a little bit of time and
some help to find out how to use it properly.
> 2. Some intensive work prior to (and shortly after) the release has led to
a very good set of help pages which cover how to use Unity.
> 3. Yelp has had a face lift in version 3 and now loads *much* more quickly
than it used to.
> 4. The documentation has had a massive overhaul and is now *much* more
navigable and useful than it was.
>
> To see the current documentation run "yelp" on an updated Natty system
> or browse to here:
>
> https://help.ubuntu.com/11.04/ubuntu-help/index.html
>
> I think that users would benefit from such an icon not only in 11.10
> but also as an update to 11.04, especially given that 11.04 is the
> first release to feature Unity.
>
> To manage notifications about this bug go to:
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/ayatana-design/+bug/778289/+subscriptions

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Joaquin (jknvv13)]

Not an opinion, that was on Maverick or lucid/older version of ubuntu.
El 22/09/2011 18:38, "John Lea" <email address hidden> escribió:
> ** Changed in: ayatana-design
> Status: New => Opinion
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are subscribed to a
> duplicate bug report (853228).
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/778289
>
> Title:
> Help button in Unity default launcher
>
> Status in Ayatana Design:
> Opinion
> Status in Unity:
> New
> Status in “unity” package in Ubuntu:
> Confirmed
>
> Bug description:
> Binary package hint: unity
>
> Previous editions of Ubuntu have always had a help button in the panel
> as one of the (very few) default launcher items. In 11.04 this button
> is not in the Unity launcher and I think it should be added, for
> several reasons:
>
> 1. Unity is a new interface and it takes people a little bit of time and
some help to find out how to use it properly.
> 2. Some intensive work prior to (and shortly after) the release has led to
a very good set of help pages which cover how to use Unity.
> 3. Yelp has had a face lift in version 3 and now loads *much* more quickly
than it used to.
> 4. The documentation has had a massive overhaul and is now *much* more
navigable and useful than it was.
>
> To see the current documentation run "yelp" on an updated Natty system
> or browse to here:
>
> https://help.ubuntu.com/11.04/ubuntu-help/index.html
>
> I think that users would benefit from such an icon not only in 11.10
> but also as an update to 11.04, especially given that 11.04 is the
> first release to feature Unity.
>
> To manage notifications about this bug go to:
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/ayatana-design/+bug/778289/+subscriptions

[manny (estelar57)]

agree this is not an Opinion, this has always been an item in ubuntu till natty, you dont even specify reasons for a "no-fix"...

bad way to dismiss a valid bug specially when ubuntu lacks any kind of guidance or introduction at all for a new user.

specially such an alien OS to the majority of people.

people dont use what they dont know how to use and go back to what they know.

Education in any form is key.

This type of mentality is not going to get ubuntu anywhere near the 200 million users it wants...

[Matthew East (mdke)]

It is inappropriate, and frankly rude, to close a bug without explaining the reason why you are doing it. In the Ubuntu community we encourage polite and respectful discussion.

I'm reopening the bug as a result.

"Every bug report is a conversation with the reporter. The first contact any reporter usually has with the Ubuntu community is through a bug triager, who tries to put together a complete bug report. It's very important that we give a good impression, so please be polite and try to use your best English." https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Bugs/HowToTriage

[manny (estelar57)]

Thanks Matthew for reopening.

I agree it was totally rude to just dismiss it in that manner.

This bug is not so much about placing a simple icon in the launcher, is about the lack of any easy to find Non-online help for new users.

A help that is included but is "hidden" from the user that needs it.

Here is a "Real Live example" of what happened when an user didn't know how to get help to get online with an Ubuntu laptop: She dropped out of college and was basically forced to go with the issue public:

http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2011/08/ubuntu-college-girl-dropping-out-laptop/

This was such bad press for ubuntu, and we have not learned from this experience.

This case may seem extreme, but is real. It shows what happens when an user cant find any type of help nor does ubuntu include any kind of tool to diagnose the problems (specially something as important as networking issues).

So as you see making help more "visible" is just a start, but Ubuntu needs this and much more.

Windows has great diagnostic tools, help, guides, tutorials, wizards, etc.
When things are not working it has a way to advise the user quickly, it offers visible help everywhere, Ubuntu on the other hand does not even offer basic help in a way that a new user will stumble with it fast...

This bug can only be marked as "No-fix" if its in favor of an alternative project that the designers may be working on for getting new users the guidance they need to getting started with Ubuntu and/or diagnosing potential problems.

But until that happens, the developers can do something now with what they have and take 5 seconds to make help a visible element again by including the icon in the launcher.

Most are not even aware that this guide is bundle with the OS. This should help solve that.

This is not only fast and simple, but once the user is advance enough he/she can easily remove it to gain that small space back.

Right now the launcher includes 3 libreoffice icons (which could be cut down to just 1: the libreoffice wizard), but they are just there so new users are aware that an office suite is installed. Once aware most will remove those icons afterwards. Adding the help back would have the same awareness effect.

Thanks.

[John Lea (johnlea)]

This bug is clearly a 'opinion', so reverting to status 'opinion' in ayatana-design.

[John Lea (johnlea)]

To clarify why this is a 'opinion', it is because this bug is a feature request, not a identification of broken functionality (e.g. 'in the following circumstance XXX functionality is broken")

[Joaquin (jknvv13)]

Well, on Ubuntu from 4.10 to 11.04 (classic session) there was a help icon.
El 26/09/2011 11:01, "John Lea" <email address hidden> escribió:
> To clarify why this is a 'opinion', it is because this bug is a feature
> request, not a identification of broken functionality (e.g. 'in the
> following circumstance XXX functionality is broken")
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are subscribed to a
> duplicate bug report (853228).
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/778289
>
> Title:
> Help button in Unity default launcher
>
> Status in Ayatana Design:
> Opinion
> Status in Unity:
> Won't Fix
> Status in “unity” package in Ubuntu:
> Confirmed
>
> Bug description:
> Binary package hint: unity
>
> Previous editions of Ubuntu have always had a help button in the panel
> as one of the (very few) default launcher items. In 11.04 this button
> is not in the Unity launcher and I think it should be added, for
> several reasons:
>
> 1. Unity is a new interface and it takes people a little bit of time and
some help to find out how to use it properly.
> 2. Some intensive work prior to (and shortly after) the release has led to
a very good set of help pages which cover how to use Unity.
> 3. Yelp has had a face lift in version 3 and now loads *much* more quickly
than it used to.
> 4. The documentation has had a massive overhaul and is now *much* more
navigable and useful than it was.
>
> To see the current documentation run "yelp" on an updated Natty system
> or browse to here:
>
> https://help.ubuntu.com/11.04/ubuntu-help/index.html
>
> I think that users would benefit from such an icon not only in 11.10
> but also as an update to 11.04, especially given that 11.04 is the
> first release to feature Unity.
>
> To manage notifications about this bug go to:
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/ayatana-design/+bug/778289/+subscriptions

[manny (estelar57)]

@John

Why isnt this a broken functionality?

the functionality was there and you guys clearly broke it.

this bug is just to bring it back, because an OS that you have no help/guide at all is a broken OS.

[Matthew East (mdke)]

On 26 September 2011 09:52, John Lea <email address hidden> wrote:
> To clarify why this is a 'opinion', it is because this bug is a feature
> request, not a identification of broken functionality (e.g.  'in the
> following circumstance XXX functionality is broken")

The opinion status means a lot more than just that the bug is a
feature request. The "opinion" status essentially closes a bug on the
grounds that there is a *difference* of opinion. You haven't expressed
any different opinion so marking this as opinion is simply another way
of saying that it's a feature request *which you have no intention of
paying any attention to so want it off your list of open bugs*.

Feature requests on the other hand can and should be valid bugs until
they provoke a difference of opinion which deserves discussion
elsewhere.

 - Ref https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Bugs/Status

"The status 'opinion' means there is a difference of opinion around a
particular bug and people are free to continue the discussion, but the
project or package maintainers need to move to other work and are
considering the issue closed. The idea is that bugs can be marked
closed, so developers aren't wasting time on them, but discussion can
still be on-going."

[John Lea (johnlea)]

To further clarify why this bug is a 'opinion', it is a very specific feature request that is worthy of further consideration. However it will remain a opinion until the following higher level problems are examined:

1) what are the scenarios when users look for help documentation?
2) what problems do they encounter when they look for help documentation?
3) how can we solve the problems identified?

This bug provides one very specific solution to question 3, that in itself is based on an assumed answer to question 2.

Assuming the problem that "users have great difficulty finding the help documentation when they need it", the appropriate design bug would be titled something along the lines of "make help documentation more accessible". A bug title along these lines allows multiple solutions to the problem to be examined.

Coming back to this bug, it is marked 'opinion' because it is one (of several) possible solutions to the above problem. It may well end up being the correct solution, but the validity of the exact solution specified here is a opinion until the design space has been examined in more detail.

[Jeremy Bícha (jbicha)]

Marking as duplicate of a new bug which hopefully is more focused on the problem than any particular solution. I also hope that the hidden help problem is improved for 11.10 and not just for 12.04.

[manny (estelar57)]

@John, Thanks for giving us the necessary feedback. Not being experts of how the "bureaucracy" is managed here on launchpad we could only do so much. I mean, many times an individual would take the time to submit a bug report and is "rapidly discarded without feedback" (no-fix, closed, opinion, etc.). While the heart of the issue is still there.

You feel like the people in charge of the bugs are machines, not humans. We know you guys may be busy with other work, but that's no justification to close something and give no feedback.

maybe a new bug report about "this problem plaguing launchpad" should be submitted...

@Jeremy, Thanks for filling in a "better" bug report that goes with John's recommendations. Subscribing!

[Matthew East (mdke)]

John, while I appreciate you taking the time to respond in a bit more detail, your response is a vast overcomplication of a simple problem with a simple solution. Users need help - it is a truth universally acknowledged. In the current version of Ubuntu, contrary to versions prior to 11.04, users can't find it. This is a regression. The possible solutions are simple ones and even if there are different possible solutions, one of the simple ones should be implemented as soon as possible. There are two easy solutions, one is to put a link to help in the dash, the other is to put a link to help in the launcher[1]. Discussing these solutions and implementing one is perfectly normal practice for a bug report such as this one, and closing it pending specifications and so on simply prolongs the difficulties experienced by our users.

[1] I appreciate that the launcher is a bit cluttered right now with unhelpful links, but that is another problem.

[manny (estelar57)]

@Matthew, i agree with implementing the fastest/simplest solution "ASAP" before Oneric is released, and not wait 6 more months to do such trivial thing.

in fact this should be a Papercut !

Later , future alternatives can be discussed with more calm and/or during the next UDS.