Alternating row colors for list view?

[tsujan]

It was suggested at https://github.com/lxqt/pcmanfm-qt/issues/1367 and seems acceptable to me but without any option to add/remove it. A Qt parameter can do it.

Is it acceptable to you too?

[ssokolow]

Also bear in mind that it's part of the KDE look that PCManFM-Qt seems to be moving toward with commits like lxqt/libfm-qt@6803d32a9e904f55ccaa42540952e101b76d18bf, being something that both DolphinPart and the KDE Open/Save dialogs do.

[tsujan]

I saw no reason why it shouldn't be acceptable and made https://github.com/lxqt/libfm-qt/pull/685

[tsujan]

it's part of the KDE look that PCManFM-Qt seems to be moving toward...

Just to be clear, pcmanfm-qt may incorporate useful features of some file managers but isn't moving toward any. It's good to use others' experiences if they're practical. However, some mistakes may also be copied repeatedly by various programs.

[ssokolow]

Fair in theory, but I'd argue that the whole flat design aesthetic is "mistakes may also be copied repeatedly by various programs".

For example, at least with the Breeze theme, that commit I referenced removed a grouping cue and reduced the foreground-background contrast of the Places sidebar.

[tsujan]

but I'd argue that the whole flat design aesthetic is...

And a counterargument may say the opposite. In these cases, the developers make the final decision.

[ssokolow]

Flat UI Elements Attract Less Attention and Cause Uncertainty - Nielsen Norman Group

Summary: Flat interfaces often use weak signifiers. In an eyetracking experiment comparing different kinds of clickability clues, UIs with weak signifiers required more user effort than strong ones.

• The average amount of time was significantly higher on the weak-signifier versions than the strong-signifier versions. On average participants spent 22% more time (i.e., slower task performance) looking at the pages with weak signifiers.
• The average number of fixations was significantly higher on the weak-signifier versions than the strong-signifier versions. On average, people had 25% more fixations on the pages with weak signifiers.

(Both findings were significant by a paired t-test with sites as the random factor, p < 0.05.)

This means that, when looking at a design with weak signifiers, users spent more time looking at the page, and they had to look at more elements on the page. Since this experiment used targeted findability tasks, more time and effort spent looking around the page are not good. These findings don’t mean that users were more “engaged” with the pages. Instead, they suggest that participants struggled to locate the element they wanted, or weren’t confident when they first saw it.

While the test in question was for websites, rather than apps you use day-in, day-out, the point remains... especially when people tend to try to unify the aesthetic of the UIs they have executive decision-making power over.

Flat design is good for print, because it's a read-only medium. It's poor for applications, because it encourages the omission of cues users use to subconsciously navigate the interface.

[tsujan]

Sorry, I don't participate in discussions that are endless by their very nature. They may be good in other areas but not in programming.

[ssokolow]

Endless how? You implied that both positions had equal validity, and I linked and excerpted a professionally conducted HCI study that found significantly poorer user performance on sites using flat design.

[tsujan]

As someone used to say, "this isn't a democracy." We should do things in the limited free times we have (compare the lengths of my comments with those of yours). I think I've been clear and self-consistent from the start. If not, sorry!

[ssokolow]

From your definitions on #1367, I got the impression that you were open to having your aesthetic opinions changed by empirical evidence, so that's what I linked.