usability

Usability of the new toolkit is now more difficult with the splitting of "All units, output, input"

Is it possible to display "all units" whilst including all the channel groups information please. Similar to the previous versions database view. Is there an option to show all group/channel information, I had a look but can't find it.

Thanks.

 

Hi Ross,

We removed groups from the "All Units" view because this feature wasn't accurately representing associations between keys and groups for key units. Output units didn't have such issue. So, for example, you could see in the units list in TK 1.10.9:

Unit Type___Group1___Group2___Group3___Group4
KEY4_______Kitchen___Dining____Bedroom__Lounge

But when you push buttons on the KEY4 unit you see that Key 1 is toggling Bedroom lights and Key 3 is toggling Lounge lights. This is because keys are associated with groups through blocks and you are free to have Block 1 associated with Key 3.

The old group columns in the unified units view could not accurately show the correct keys to groups associations because the code gathering that information from units was generic, working across all units, input and output and because of that it could not know about peculiarities of keys and groups associations. Thus information in Group X columns was often confusing and we received many complaints before about this.

Now that input and output units have their own views, customised loading of groups from units became a possibility. Input Units view now takes in consideration blocks and possible multiple key/block associations and also groups on secondary application.

I understand in a way this is a regression but not without clear advantages. What do others think? Is the list of groups on the All Units view a big loss to you? Will it be easy for you to get used to the new appearance of the units view?

Regards,
George

 

Howdi George,
Thanks for the reply.

Clear advantages for who? The end user or the in-house programmers of Toolkit. I would concur with part of your statement, I cannot see any time saving advantage for the end user, and it is a clear regression in usability. It may now be more accurate in its display, but at what cost in usability.

There must be a way to clearly represent a network/database view without the constant cycling of multiple pages and views.

I use toolkit every working day George, I could work around the previous features of Toolkit, like many others, and not bring myself undone. This version is a step backwards. If you use the same product every day, it is the little pesky things that get up ones nose. This feature has added to the aggravation, not lessoned it.

Can the design team please consider the additional steps now required and come up with a more workable solution.

Thanks for listening.
Ross.

 

We will discuss this amongst the design team, but would like input from other users before making any final decision.

This change was made as a result of feedback from various users and was expected to improve the usability for the majority of end users. Unfortunately, what some consider a huge improvement will be seen as a step backward for others. We aim to provide the best solution for the majority of our users, but it is very difficult when individual needs and preferences differ greatly.

 

Give it time

Hi,

Initially I was also a bit unhappy about the display options, but in the first place, whenever something is changed to a user interface, some will like it, some won't.
Often, the initial dislike goes away, once one has gotten used to the new set-up.
To me, the new feel and look is good! If the info displayed is now accurate, especially in terms if alternative applications, then that is a big step forward.

My only 'gripe' would be that the info gathered in the different views does not seem to be retained for a particular session, Therefore, when toggling between the different views, the relevant info needs to be re-loaded. Is that necessary?

Other than that, congrats on a great product!

 

Hi All
I agree with Ross that it is very useful to have the GA showing on the all units page especially when doing service work. Why not give the user the option of turning it on and off via field chooser?
Someone mentioned that it is confusing to have GA on the all units page when it dose not show the true assignment to button is it not as confusing on the input units page?
While on the subject of confusing the issue of group allocation on input units why did clipsal decide to make the allocation check box change the ticks when you making Group Address changes in simple gui this is especially annoying in PIRs as if you do not look in blocks then you will not have expiry time or expiry command. This was introduced some time ago I made mention of it then but fell on deaf ears.
I must add that toolkit has lots of good features over past software versions however these little bugs are very frustrating when you use toolkit all day to earn your living.
Regards
Graham