Since Symphony 3.0 had been released almost one year time, there are still usability issues in Symphony. We know that we have a lot of work to do. We also need to hear user’s voice and opinions. Your feedback is really important to our product. From now on, we will continuously post the usability issues improvement ideas to collect your comments and feedback. Please feel free to give us any suggestion.
1. Can not open multi-files and insert multi-images.
Current issues: User can not open multi-files and images at one time. User need to insert images one by one. It's inefficient for user.
Design Proposal: Enable open multi-files and insert multi-images. Select multi-images by frame or pressing Ctrl or Shift(Like the same behavior in other windows software).
Please refer to Figure 1
2. Font list
Current issues:
1) “Recently used fonts” does not work when user changes slides.
2) Our current design just use a line to differentiate two categories(“Recently used fonts” and “All fonts”). There is no category title in font list. It is hard for user to understand the meaning of each category.
Design Proposal:
1) “Recently used fonts”works when user changes slides, and also works even switch files. But if user closes symphony and restarts, 'Recently used fonts' will be cleared.
2) Add title to each category. The Maximum Number of 'Recently used fonts' should be 5.
Please refer to Figure 2
3. Hard to change area color for text box and shapes.
Current issues: User can not fill or change area color when he clicks in the text boxes or shapes. User has to select shape border until the cursor is hiding.
Please refer to Figure 3.
Design proposal: User could fill or change color whenever he click in shapes or select shape border. Please refer to Figure 4.
4. Hard to fill or change text and image border.
Current issues:
User does not know how to fill border color after he inserts a text box or image. The current interface makes user confused. It seems that user can change color and width, but actually when user try to change the color, it does not work. Because it select 'none' as the line style by default setting. User has to select “continuous” in style menu to enable the color panel and then fill or change color.
Please refer to Figure 5.
Design Proposal:
Replace the label position of Width and Style, Select “none” as line style by default setting, and at the same time, other labels(Color, Width, Transparency and Arrow)should be disabled. Enabled these labels until line style is not “none”.
Please refer to Figure 6.
5. Shapes need to be reintegrated.
Current issues:
Confusing. There are two shape groups in current design. It is hard for user to know the shape he wants to draw is in which group. User need to open drop-down menu to find the shape he wants to draw is in which group.
Design Proposal:
Integrate two categories to one group. (10 shapes per row).
Support ”Recently used shapes” .
Please refer to Figure 7.
6. Hard to do accurate image cropping and shape area scaling.
Current issues:
The minimum unit is too large. It is difficult for user to crop images or adjust shapes area by accurate action.
Please refer to Figure 8.
Design Proposal:
Make the unit smaller and more accurate.