Sketches for RTC plan filter and plan view editing

Corrie KwanSept 20, 2012

V1.0

Problems:

• Users are confused by modifying plan layout in Plan View Editor vs. directly on plan

– Persistent vs transient– Inconsistent modes exist (See table)

• Users did not know they have no save permission until clicking SAVE… after they made modifications to plan

• Filter experience needs improvement

For users with Save permission.

Modify on plan Modify on Plan View Editor

Add column N/A Persistent

Move columns PersistentDrag & Drop only enabled only when Plan View editor is opened.

Persistent

Remove columns N/A Persistent

Delete columns N/A Persistent

Column width adjustment

Transient / PersistentDoes not get updated in Plan View editorUnless “Set column width as default” button is pressed

Persistent

Bars N/A Persistent

Colour N/A Persistent

Display N/A Persistent

Filter (Exclude) Persistent Persistent

Group N/A Persistent

Plan Check N/A Persistent

Sorting N/A Persistent

Filter “Type to filter”

Transient N/A

Design objectives:

• Make it clear to users when changes in Plan View edit persist, and when they are transient (View only vs. Edit mode)

• Let users know they do not have Save permission before they proceed with modifying plans.

• Improve filtering experience

Is it technically feasible?

• Permission can be detected before SAVE button is clicked

– This is technically possible. Could potentially be performance issue.

– How to indicate users can no SAVE permission?

• Plan View Editor can be synced with direct manipulation of the plan table

Disclaimer

• Included in V1.0 of this document are SKETCHES of IDEAS.

• These are not solutions nor proposals.

Ideas explored: (1) Clear up users’ confusions regarding filters

• Design goal: Improve filtering experience. Eliminate confusion between the two modes of modifying plan layout (transient vs persistent edit)

• Change “Filter” icon to “Exclude”– Minor question… Why aren’t we using “include”?

• “# of items filtered”

– “Filtered” can be interpreted as the number of items included, instead of excluded.

– Suggestion wording change: “Show x of y items”.

• Make clear that Exclude filtering on Plan editor persists, “Type to filter” is only transient. See SKETCH

• WI 219615, WI 218351

SKETCH 1.1:

•“Exclude” filter on Plan Editor will persist if users save plan.

SKETCH 1.2:

•“Exclude” filter on Plan Editor will persist if users save plan.

•Con: Function is useful as temporary filter when viewing data.

Remove “Exclude” filter from Plan Editor

SKETCH 1.3:

•Make “Exclude” filter transient on the Plan Editor level

Instead of “Set column size as default in view”, perhaps to change to “Set current view as default” to include filter too?

Ideas explored: (2) Expose users to only what they have permission to do

• Design goal: Make users be aware of their permission without having to click Save

• Hide unnecessary functions (See sketch):– Save button– Create View, Delete View (from Plan View drop down)– “Set Column Adjustments As Defaults” icon– “Set this view as default” in Plan View Editor– Import?– Clean up item level context menu (delete work items etc)– Hide Expand All and Collapse All twisties where option is not applicable

• Pros:– Clean UI. Less shown to users.

• Cons:– Potential performance hit.

• SKETCH

SKETCH 2.1: Expose users to only what they have permission to do

SKETCH 2.2: Expose users to only what they have permission to do

How to indicate users don’t have permission to save? (Do we really need to surface that for a normal team member?)

Plan is in view-only mode.Plan is in view-only mode.Plan is in view-only mode.

Idea 3: Now, let’s tackle this…

For users with Save permission.

Modify on plan Modify on Plan View Editor

Add column N/A Persistent

Move columns PersistentDrag & Drop only enabled only when Plan View editor is opened.

Persistent

Remove columns N/A Persistent

Delete columns N/A Persistent

Column width adjustment

Transient / PersistentDoes not get updated in Plan View editorUnless “Set column width as default” button is pressed

Persistent

Bars N/A Persistent

Colour N/A Persistent

Display N/A Persistent

Filter (Exclude) Persistent Persistent

Group N/A Persistent

Plan Check N/A Persistent

Sorting N/A Persistent

Filter “Type to filter” Transient N/A

•Design goal: Eliminate confusion between the inconsistent modes of modifying plan layout (transient vs persistent edit)

Ideas Explored: (3a) Plan View Editor and Plan reflect changes of each other (sync)

• Design goal: Single point of modifying the play layout.

• Changes:i. Allow Column drag & drop without clicking into Plan View Editorii. Resize column width on table gets automatically updated in Plan View Editoriii. Remove “Set column adjustments as default” button.iv. Save will save layout as is.v. First time user starts drag&drop or resize, a warning pops up “You are editing the table

layout while in auto-save mode. All changes will be saved. Do you want to proceed....”

• Possible limitations: – Automatic syncing between Plan View Editor and the layout on the plan.

• Pros:– Single point of modifying the plan layout.

• Cons:– May want temporary manipulation of data for users

• WI 171896

SKETCH 3a.1: Plan View Editor and Plan reflect changes of each other (sync)

Replace <OK> <Cancel> buttons in Plan View Editor.Many feel <OK> means “finished editing”.Since we aren’t reverting any changes, we no longer need Cancel.

SKETCH 3a.2: Warning when user starts modifying layout on play when Auto-Save is on.

Ideas Explored: (3b) Separate two modes of plan view editing

• All editing done directly on plan will be transient

• All editing done in Plan View Editor will persist (for users with Save permission)

• Button to set current view layout as default view, instead of column adjustments only.

– “Set Column Adjustments As Defaults” eg. “Set Current Layout as Default View”

– Need to make sure the “Set Current Layout as Default View” is prominent

SKETCH 3b.1: Separate two modes of plan view editing

Ideas Explored: (3c) Hide Plan Editor View for users without Save permission

• Must: Add view edit functions on the Plan directly.

• More thoughts required with this idea. Option seems less feasible without changing the entire UI.

• Cons: Plan Edit View is cleaner way to store all editing options in one place.

Idea 4: Personalized plan layout

• Users want layouts that they can personalized. Think view edit is for their own use.

BACK UP

Conflicting filter modals co-existing in one filter box

• Enhancement 218351

• Issues: – Selecting predefined filtering criteria to exclude the work items matches with the selected criteria – Typing a filter string retrieves work items contains the typed string

• Live demo to reproduce the issues• What have caused this?

– Lack of clarity on UI to support a clear logic (Eclipse client UI has a better clarify)

• Solution • Jen and I explore• One is Search another is filter• “Type to find” vs. “Type to filter”

Enable “Save” to respond to user’s action of edit/change a plan

• Enhancement 219615• Issues

– The “Save” isn’t enabled when a user edits or changes the plan

• Live demo to reproduce the issue• What have caused this?

– Intention of stopping invalid users from making changes to a plan, but this has stopped all users from doing so in an easier and faster way– Impose a non-intuitive way and an unnecessarily complicated logic to activate the “Save”

• Solution: – Activate the “Save” button whenever a user made changes to a plan but validate his/her right on Save. – Leave the validation of the action to the rules defined in the Process

– ***Moving column has to depend on opening the Edit view.