Keyboard layout widget needs more love

[Sergey Kirienko]

Right now if I open Keyboard Properties -> Layouts -> Add, I will see a list of keyboard layouts with huge widget presenting the keyboard (please see screenshot). This widget is quite ugly and should be improved:

1. Buttons border should be thinner and there should be some space between buttons. Glued buttons look ugly. Alter decision is to make borders look more like 3D (lighter from top and left, darker from bottom and right).
2. Whole widget padding (space between top left corner of the frame and top left corner of Esc button) seems to be too huge. Also vertical space between F-buttons and ~12345 is unnaturally big.
3. We should replace long ugly titles like [ISO_Pre...] with buttons real drawings where possible. For example, Up, Left, Down, Right should be replaced with arrows. This way our keyboard will look more like a real keyboard (and that's our goal). All additional meanings of the button may be placed in tooltips.
4. Do we really need a block with LED indicators? If we do, it shouldn't look so bold and probably should indicate (show current status of Locks). If we don't, just throw it.
5. Adding some light gradient to buttons will make them nicer and more real.

[David Planella (dpm)]

Sergey,

Thanks a lot for the feedback. If you are interested in contributing in this area, there is an existing blueprint discussing a redesign of the keyboard indicator.

Feel free to subscribe to the blueprint and to provide more input if you'd like to.

  https://blueprints.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+spec/dx-m-indicator-keyboard

Thanks!