User interface is too complicated for a new user

[Roope Kuisma]

I've noticed that all new user across the board, including long time Windows users as well as persons new to computers in general are frustrated with Ubuntu's user interface. As part of my job I'm preinstalling Ubuntu on computers and assisting customers with their software related issues. Such basic tasks as browsing and opening applications, and managing windows, are causes of great discomfort and frustration to an inexperienced user, and take me a long time to teach.

- Window's close, minimize and maximize buttons are not located logically. They appear to disappear each time an application is maximized. A new user does not understand they're hidden behind the application name in the top corner. Hiding the menubar in the first place is equally confusing.
- The main menu is way too complicated. A newcomer doesn't immediately notice the small buttons on the bottom, or understand their function. If an app doesn't happen to be in the category tabs, one has find the small text "Show .. more results" and with no further sorting, browse through the entire collection of applications to find it. Showing not yet installed apps in the menu is also not something a new user would understand.
- Just the main screen with no applications opened is full of buttons. This alone trips comfort-meter from "let's learn!" to "I'm not doing this".

As a (temporary?) fix I've moved to installing Kubuntu to customer computers. It has it's own quirks, like widgets and activities, but they're easy to get rid of. A new user doesn't need, and more importantly, doesn't _want_ anything but the very basic functions. Any sugar on top is confusion on top. All user interfaces have to balance between newcomer and power user desires, but it's fair to say that, Ubuntu being the "Linux for human beings", we've missed the target here.

Things don't look too good on the upcoming Ubuntu phone interface either. It's looking even more complicated than worst operator-branded Android UI's.

A key to successful user interface design is simplicity, especially so when it's supposed to attract newcomers. This is a problem worth a bug report.

[Ubuntu Foundations Team Bug Bot (crichton)]

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. It seems that your bug report is not filed about a specific source package though, rather it is just filed against Ubuntu in general. It is important that bug reports be filed about source packages so that people interested in the package can find the bugs about it. You can find some hints about determining what package your bug might be about at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Bugs/FindRightPackage. You might also ask for help in the #ubuntu-bugs irc channel on Freenode.

To change the source package that this bug is filed about visit https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+bug/1157286/+editstatus and add the package name in the text box next to the word Package.

[This is an automated message. I apologize if it reached you inappropriately; please just reply to this message indicating so.]

[Fabio Marconi (fabiomarconi)]

Thank you for your suggestion. However, the changes you are requesting aren't really a bug and require more discussion, which should be done on an appropriate mailing list or forum. http://www.ubuntu.com/support/community/mailinglists might be a good start for determining which mailing list to use.

[Roope Kuisma (meizirkki)]

This bug is more like the "Microsoft has a majority of marketshare" than "fix this". Things I listed were merely examples of the issues contributing to user discomfort. Anyhow, thanks for the tip, I might bring this up on a mailing list.