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Idea #7268: Interactive first-use tour



bug This idea is a duplicate of idea #10545: Take a tour of Ubuntu dialog box right after installation..
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Written by Warbo the 19 Apr 08 at 14:52. Category: Accessibility.
Related to: Live CD. Status: New
Description
There are many ideas floating around about introduction videos.

I think a better idea would be an interactive tour, where the user's actual desktop is used and they are prompted to take actions.

For example, a coloured mouse cursor could move around the screen to point at certain things whilst subtitles explain them.

Let's say the first part of the tour explains how to run programs. The coloured cursor would move to the Applications button and the user would be prompted to click it. The sub-menus can then be explained one by one and the user can be directed to start an arbitrary program (say, the GIMP).

This tour would only work either on the CD or straight after installation, since after that a user could configure their desktop to be completely different.

The advantages over videos are 1) the user is doing things, not just watching steps being performed, thus should remember what to do better, 2) takes up much less space, since it is only a program for drawing and moving the prompting image and subtitles, and the text of the subtitles, 3) easier translation since only the subtitle text needs changing, the desktop is already translated.

What are people's thoughts?

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taron wrote on the 19 Apr 08 at 17:30
Sounds good.

But of course everything must be undone. For example, when the user deletes a file in a later step he learns how to get it out of the trash.


wearzeep wrote on the 19 Apr 08 at 17:38
No, sound annoying.
The only way I could see it working if it was on the liveCD only, and it should absolutely not start automatically, but from like a desktop shortcut, "Interactive Tour" or something.

cg.bolanos wrote on the 19 Apr 08 at 18:58
I see this being helpful only under one circumstance, and that is to run a tour-mode only while using a LiveCD, which is the first approach many people have with Ubuntu.

You could be able to see a brief explanation of the elements on the desktop by hovering the mouse over them, and maybe add a Stop Tour-Mode button on the upper panel.

Warbo wrote on the 19 Apr 08 at 20:03
I agree that it shouldn't be on by default. Perhaps the user should be asked when the CD logs in, or as an icon as wearzeep says.

I was just trying to think of a space-saving alternative to videos, plus the bonuses of translation and interaction (ie. less boring and more memorable)

taron wrote on the 19 Apr 08 at 22:13
We could add it to the System menu.

But of course not default, like Warbo said.

holizz wrote on the 20 Apr 08 at 06:56
I like the concept, +1, but I think it would be hard to implement.

Not only do you have the problem of the user adding things to the menus and changing other things before the demo runs, but you also have to compensate for various screen resolutions and different localisations.

It would be ideal if you could query gnome-panel to find out where the Applications menu is, move a ghost cursor to it then tell it to open.

kriukov wrote on the 24 Apr 08 at 05:00
I would be against that.

I remember how annoying it was to kill the "Windows tour" application which kept starting every time the system was run after installation. Linux is about exploring. The user should walk around the system and see how things work. And there are always the Help files and manuals.

CryingFreeman wrote on the 2 May 08 at 07:13
I'm all for an Introductory Tour-icon on the Desktop that the user can click on at first boot.

This could be achieved with Scalable Vector Graphics (The animated kind) and put together with SMIL, incorporating OGG sound files with explanatory commentary.

Steps that can be included are for example:

* Add/Remove programs
* How to connect to a WLAN
* How to find the Help and support-system and what it contains.
* A general 'software featured' tour.
* How to enable repositories.
* Where to browse for help on the internet.

The advantage with SMIL is that it can be set to use localized content, so that every Local Community can have their own translated interactive tour, with about the same content in their own language.

After the first run, the icon disappears and puts itself in the vicinity of Help and Support in the System-menu.

However, this tour MUST NOT autorun. That is just plainly annoying to disable. :)

pierre.slamich@gmail.com wrote on the 18 May 08 at 12:32
Have a look at MacOS X intro video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAtIwKq0fQE&NR=1
A video of this kind could be played before the tour to warmly welcome the user and give a sensation of power to the Os


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