#6128 NORM FutureF: A suggestion for Journal organization

[Zarro Boogs per Child]

#6128: A suggestion for Journal organization
------------------------------+---------------------------------------------
 Reporter:  bemasc            |       Owner:  tomeu         
     Type:  enhancement       |      Status:  new           
 Priority:  normal            |   Milestone:  FutureFeatures
Component:  journal-activity  |     Version:                
 Keywords:                    |    Verified:  0             
 Blocking:                    |   Blockedby:                
------------------------------+---------------------------------------------
 There has been much discussion about how to achieve grouping in the
 journal, and whether to move towards a hierarchical structure, like
 directories and subdirectories on a normal file system.  In the current
 design, tags are intended to be the organizational tool, instead of
 directory tree-structures.

 In the current Journal UI, I can filter the journal for tags by typing
 each tag into the search bar.  This is very similar to typing in the path
 to a file in a filesystem.  This is inconvenient.  It requires the user to
 remember all the tags in question, and how they are spelled.

 Most UIs have not required the user to type in a path since 1992.
 Instead, they present the user with a Save or Open dialog featuring a list
 of all the files and subdirectories of one directory, with options to go
 up one level, to return to the "Home" directory, or to make a new
 directory.  The user doesn't need to remember the name of any path, never
 mind typing it in correctly.

 The equivalent design for the Journal is simpler, but just as effective.
 The user should be presented with a list of all tags used so far.  In the
 Launch/Open context, clicking on a tag should filter for that tag.  In the
 Keep context, clicking on a tag should add it to the current entry.  There
 should also be a text box to allow the user to type in tags, and a single-
 click method to remove any or all tags.

 An optimization:
 The tags should be sorted by frequency.  The most frequently used tags
 should be placed at the top of the list, which will presumably be too long
 to be visible all at once.  Once the user has added one or more tags, the
 list should be reordered to show the tags in the order of their frequency
 among objects that also have the selected tags.

 When launching a Journal entry, if the user clicks the "homework" tag, all
 entries not tagged "homework" will disappear from view, and the tags will
 be reordered to indicate the tag frequency among the remaining entries.
 The "homework" tag should also be removed from the list.  Tags that do not
 appear on any item that is tagged homework should not appear.

 When Keeping a journal entry, if the user clicks the "homework" tag, the
 other tags should be reordered according to their frequency among items
 also tagged "homework".  The "homework" tag should disappear from the
 list.  Tags that do not appear on any item also tagged homework should
 still be shown, at the bottom of the list, sorted by general order.  If
 the user has selected "homework, algebra", then the tags should first be
 those that appear with homework and algebra, then those that appear with
 homework or algebra, and then those that have never appeared with either.

 This optimization generates behavior much like in a normal filesystem.  In
 a filesystem, once you have selected a particular directory, you are only
 shown the subdirectories as immediate options.  In this case, once you
 have selected a particular tagset, you are primarily shown closely-related
 tags.  The efficiency benefit is similar.

 Just like Windows and Gnome now provide a handful of default directories
 to encourage organization, perhaps we should include a handful of basic
 tags, included by default.  This only makes sense if there is a list of
 tags being shown, since initially there are no entries that have actually
 been tagged.  A list of default tags would help to explain the tag concept
 and encourage usage of tags.

-- 
Ticket URL: <http://dev.laptop.org/ticket/6128>
One Laptop Per Child <http://dev.laptop.org>
OLPC bug tracking system