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Browsing brainstorm ideas more easily

Written by mydoghasworms the 14 Jan 11 at 06:18. Category: Website navigation. New

When there are ideas on Brainstorm that have 10, 20 or even more solutions, it becomes difficult to browse through ideas. This becomes worse when the rationale or a solution contains lots of text. You sometimes scroll past the next idea without realizing.

Often, you just want to see an overview of the ideas, and if you see something that interests you, you want more detail on that one.

A way is needed to make browsing through Brainstorm ideas easier.

2
votes

Solution #1: Provide summary of ideas and solutions, allow to expand

Written by mydoghasworms the 14 Jan 11 at 06:18.

Rather than show each idea in its entirety, show only the title and a summary of e.g. 200 characters of the rationale with a [More] link.

Additionally, either hide the solutions and allow the user to expand with a (+) button, or show only the solution titles, and allow each solution to be expanded individually.

Perhaps the user should be able to choose whether he wants to see a summary, and what level of detail, or just everything in the user profile/preferences.

17
votes

Solution #2: Provide better visual cue to show idea boundaries

Written by mydoghasworms the 14 Jan 11 at 06:20.

Show where one idea finishes and another starts with a better visual cue. Currently there is a very thin grey line which can easily be missed when scrolling quickly though an idea with many solutions.

Either show a thicker line, or something with colour that can't be missed easily. The other option is to use alternating backgrounds. Either:

Make the entire ideas in alternating background colours (grey - white - grey - white) etc., or make the rationale a different background colour, and even make each solution alternate in colour (useful when looking through very long solutions).

-6
votes

Solution #3: Show only ideas in main list; go to the idea page to see idea's solutions

Written by philip the 18 Jan 11 at 22:43.

Show only the first 200 or so characters of the idea, without showing solutions in the main listing. To see the solutions, vote on them and comment, the user can click on the idea title to go to the idea's page.

There is no need to show the solutions at the same level as the ideas. That only causes confusion while browsing or visually searching for a particular idea in the list. In order to get the useful information, we need to summarize the data to the appropriate level and hide the irrelevant data.

This solution will also give people enough time to read and consider all solutions and comments, instead of clicking on the first solution that sounds good to them. We do not want a a knee-jerk reaction to ideas, we want people to think a little bit.

-13
votes

See the 9 comments or propose a solution (latest comment the 26 Jun 12 at 02:03) >>

People still have some difficulty when it comes to open-source.

Written by azhar the 6 Nov 10 at 13:36. Category: Idea structure. New

Well, to many people, Linux is still equal to complex CLIs.
Many people still don't know much about Linux, let alone Ubuntu. Some are quite reluctant to make the first step(towards embracing open-source, fully, or partially).
Some feel a bit lost since they are new to the Linux environment.

218
votes

Solution #1: Make small videos that depict Ubuntu's great features.

Written by azhar the 6 Nov 10 at 13:36.

We need to show people how easy, professionally-built, secure, and fun Ubuntu is!

One good inspiration would be Apple's little videos that introduce potential customers to OSX.

It would be great if Ubuntu, as well, could make such videos, and post it online. Moreover, after someone has installed Ubuntu, there should be some 'welcome-window' that can bring those new-comers to the video.

A few examples that come to my mind:
http://www.apple.com/findouthow/mac/
http://www.apple.com/findouthow/photos/

-25
votes

-12
votes

Solution #4: Do not hide the power of CLI

Written by captnfab the 18 Nov 10 at 12:31.

Here is a little dialog between a novice and two experts.

I propose to be more like Expert2 than like Expert1.
This solution would require solution 1 or 2 in order to be implemented.

Novice: Oh no, I'm afraid of Ubuntu, it's only CLI, I don't understand anything.

Expert1: Yes, CLI is very harsh, but don't worry, you don't have to use it, it's for experts. There is nice GUI for "normal users" on Ubuntu, that make your life easier.

Expert2: Nah, CLI is not that hard, many users end to use it because it appears to be very efficient, powerful and more practical than GUI. However, for beginners, Ubuntu provides a lot of GUI easy-to-use applications that suits all your needs.

-12
votes

Solution #5: Script analyzer

Written by Lachu the 21 Nov 10 at 13:27.

Add to Ubuntu bash script analyzer, which should extract as many information as possible from man pages and display it to users.

For example:

cat /tmp/sample_file > /etc/fstab
Information:
Will complete rewrite /etc/fstab from output of cat /tmp/sample_file command.
cat will display /tmp/sample_file and redirect it to standard output.
/etc/fstab is a file including definitions of mount points.

It will make people less frustrated/scared when analyzing script on the network.

19
votes

Solution #6: user requested videos

Written by DonnyDonNothin the 22 Nov 10 at 14:18.

similar to solution one but with an added social context. there are many you tube channels dedicated to linux tutorials - but no one is guiding them on what tutorials are actually needed. a page dedicated to requested tutorials would be neat. or maybe a section in the forums dedicated to video tutorial requests so we can get the tutorials we need (someone by the name of nixiepixel has done this on her youtube page). maybe a page of links to the good quality tutorials, you know the ones with good quality audible sound.

-14
votes

3
votes

Solution #8: Local Help Files based on forum solutions

Written by G-D the 2 Dec 10 at 23:42.

I have found most of my answers by searching the ubuntu or general linux forums but I don't think most people know how to use them.

I propose that popular solutions posted in the forums that receive lots of google hits should be compiled into a local help file included with the OS installation.

People have already generated most of the help information in the forums and they just need to be extracted, summarized, and included in the Ubuntu OS.

Basically what that entails is reading a forum, finding the post where the solution is explained, edit the post, give it a label, and include it in the Help documentation. Personally, I'd be willing to write up a simple tutorial on the 30 or so problems I've run into using Ubuntu and the solutions I've found online. It could be everything from how to change your screen resolution, to how to map a ntfs sabma share.

See the 27 comments or propose a solution (latest comment the 2 Aug 11 at 09:11) >>

The current result of votes, being visible, influences the users actual vote.

Written by Cube the 17 Oct 10 at 18:23. Category: Idea structure. New

Seeing the result of people who have already voted does influence the way you vote *a lot*, consciously and subconsciously. Furthermore, many users who see that the idea they wanted to vote for is -100, will refrain from voting for it.

262
votes

81
votes

Solution #2: Show total number of votes, but no details until voted on

Written by Aielyn the 23 Oct 10 at 16:08.

So basically, right now, Solution #1 says 44 votes, in the form of 52 promotions, 6 don't care, and 8 demotions.

Make it so that, until the user votes, all it does is say "66 votes in total", and doesn't actually show the visual breakdown colour bar.

(EDIT: Just to make it clearer, it's not showing the positive minus negative votes value (52-8), it's showing the total number of people who have voted at all (52+6+8))

-73
votes

Solution #3: Only vote from the idea page.

Written by James Haigh the 25 Oct 10 at 12:29.

I think a skewed vote is more likely to happen if a voter votes on something they don't really understand. The voter will likely base the decision on existing votes.

It is /very/ easy to vote on anything in 'Popular ideas' for example, even if not understood.

I propose that votes can only be made or changed from the idea page, where comments can be seen.

(The idea page for this idea is:
http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/26158/
If you can see comments then you are already on it.)

This will discourage voters who aren't that interested in the topic from voting, and will encourage voters to read comments.

Let face it, if a voter can't be bothered to click on the idea page and perhaps read a few comments,
then are they really putting enough thought into the vote?

(This solution is not mutually exclusive.)

-67
votes

Solution #4: Implement a two-rounds vote

Written by ganassa the 26 Oct 10 at 12:59.

I propose to make 2 rounds: the first one is exactly the same as the current one, you can vote any solution and see results in realtime. After a determined period of time, the poll will include only the two most voted ideas. In this way you can vote any idea disregarding the popularity at that moment, so you won't be influenced, but you can fallback to a most-popular solution when the final round has become.

-40
votes

-5
votes

See the 12 comments or propose a solution (latest comment the 17 Nov 10 at 21:13) >>

Older proposed solutions are displayed more prominently in Brainstorm

Written by replicator-snail the 7 Oct 10 at 01:15. Category: Idea structure. New

If you view a Brainstorm idea with multiple proposed solutions, solutions are shown chronological order. This puts the newest solutions at the bottom, where they are less likely to be seen; older solutions that many people have already looked at are on top.
So newer solutions tend to stay at the bottom perpetually, unseen by passers-by.

-25
votes

54
votes

58
votes

-9
votes

Solution #4: Same as Solution #2, but add links at the start to quickly jump

Written by Aielyn the 19 Oct 10 at 07:11.

As Solution #2 says, show solutions in reverse chronological order. But to make it easier, especially in cases with larger numbers of solutions, have a display at the top of the solution section with just the solution number and solution title, and clicking it jumps you down to the respective solution. The solution links would be in chronological order. Perhaps also provide a mechanism for including links to solutions within other solutions or within comments.

For the sake of saving some space if desired, add an option on a user's account allowing them to "hide" the solution links. They would be shown by default.

3
votes

Solution #5: Solution #2, but only as default, let user choose preference

Written by Aielyn the 21 Oct 10 at 17:24.

So unregistered visitors and those who haven't set their preference would see solutions in reverse chronological order, while registered users would be able to choose their preferred ordering, from the following:

- Reverse Chronological Order (default)
- Chronological Order
- Reverse Total Vote Count (positive, negative, and neutral combined)
- Total Vote Count
- Order by net vote (positive minus negative)
- Order by net vote, reversed (negatives on top)
- Randomised Order
- Positive Vote Count Order (most positive votes on top)
- Reverse Negative Vote Count Order (most negative votes on bottom)

Perhaps also provide a selector somewhere on the page to change the setting for the current session.

2
votes

6
votes

See the 2 comments or propose a solution (latest comment the 16 Oct 10 at 06:00) >>

Ideas should be better separated

Written by wleoncio the 17 Aug 09 at 18:44. Category: Website navigation. New

Brainstorm's new rationale-solution system is great, but as it allows multiple solutions to one single rationale, it has made it difficult for the user to promptly tell when an idea ends and another begins. It can be thus a pain for the user to scroll past ideas on which he just isn't interested or for which he has already voted.

614
votes

140
votes

Solution #2: Shade solutions' backgrounds, and show/hide solutions

Written by briceparent the 18 Aug 09 at 09:49.

It could even be better to have the solutions greyed instead of the both rationale and solution. This way, if you're not interested in some ideas, you just have to go to the next white background text to see the next rationale.
Something else that would be really great (added to this solution), is to allow the user to roll/unroll (using javascript, which is already used on this site) the solutions. Sometimes, there may be about 10 solutions, some of them containing images, which forces the user to scroll a lot.
Using this, all solutions could be hidden by default (or depending on a user's setting) allowing him to check fastly (using title and rationale) if he wants to take a look at the solution(s) and vote for them.

-36
votes

9
votes

See the 4 comments or propose a solution (latest comment the 4 Sep 09 at 03:06) >>

BRAINSTORM: Let's RATE (0-5/5) with the vote. Score = average rate * votes

Written by virsli100 the 22 Mar 08 at 16:45. New

We need an improved voting system by rating.

All of us probably support many ideas emerging here. Let's say there are 3 ideas that got 100 votes from 100 voters. How can we know which is the most important. And the second and the third. Every body voted to each one, because all the ideas were important but everybody has already had the rank of the ideas in his mind. Let us know that preference!
so we can improve voting by rating: 0-5.
By this score = average rate * votes
So you will know whats the most important.

Other advantage:
-Now the rank of ideas many times reflects only the age of an idea, instead of its goodness. You can judge them better on basis of the average rate.
-We could also put interesting questions like:
-Which is the best game? there are many popular and each one would get (and deserve) a score from everybody. But we wouldnt know which one is the best by the present voting system.

-20
votes

See the 5 comments or propose a solution >>

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