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diff --git a/content/technical/redesigning-the-seahorse-experience.md b/content/technical/redesigning-the-seahorse-experience.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..0cfb5c6 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/technical/redesigning-the-seahorse-experience.md @@ -0,0 +1,103 @@ +Title: Redesigning the Seahorse Experience +Date: 2011-10-17 +Tags: technical, security, gnome +Slug: redesigning-seahorse-experience + +As part of the work on getting smart cards into Seahorse, there's some +design work that needs to be done to make the new functionality usable. +In particular, the overarching design goal is that Seahorse isn't a tool +we expect users to "learn". Actions should follow mostly from the +passwords and keys that have been accumulated. + +So I've been working on the experience a bit. Some concepts: + + +- When most user's arrive, they should see their personal passwords, + and keys or certificates if they have any listed. In this mode we + combine items from all the various places these things are stored. +- The user sees a certificate regardless of it's on a smart card, + Gnome Keyring, or in NSS's store. +- Each item should have an icon, and text describing what it is. +- By default only 'personal' passwords and keys are shown. Those + belonging to the user. So things like Trusted Root CA's don't litter + the combined listing. This is easily changed on the 'View' menu. +- The list is easily filterable by typing in the box. +- We make sure to unlock the default password keyring when seahorse is + started. Normally it's unlocked already, but just in case. + +A screenshot (the toolbar needs some work): + + + +So the experience starts off really straight forward, no need to clutter +things with where these items are coming from. If the user has a smart +card inserted, the certificates and keys on the smart card will also +show up there. + +In order to see and manage stuff related to where the keys come from, +the user chooses 'View | Places' from the menu. A sidebar appears, which +supports the following concepts: + + +- Click on a place to view items from a that 'place'. +- See which keyrings exist, delete, change master passwords etc. +- See smart cards that are inserted. + + +A screenshot (the places need some tweaking): + + + + +Something I've also been playing with is an easy to use multiple +selection. For example I'd like the user to be able to select multiple +places (let's say all the password keyrings), and see their items +together. + +I wanted to do something where check boxes are shown to the right of +each 'place' when the Alt-key is depressed. The user then would click +those checkboxes to select multiple places, and show their items +together. Once one box is checked, all check boxes remain visible. This +fits in with the concept of showing keyboard mnemonics when Alt is +pressed, and also GNOME seems to be using a +show-advanced-shortcuts-on-Alt-key concept here and there, and I thought +this would fit nicely. However, sadly the window manager grabs the mouse +when Alt is held down, for the purpose of full window drags, so I had to +think of something else. + +What I came up with was that a check box is shown next to a place when +that place is selected and focused. If the user clicks that check box, +then all the check boxes next to the other places become visible, and +more than one can be selected. As long as one is checked, all the check +boxes are visible. Works well enough, and should work with touch devices +as a bonus. But I'm not as satisfied as I would have been with the Alt +concept. + +Of course this is an advanced feature, and not necessarily something +that needs to be super 'beautiful' but none the less it was interesting +to try out these alternatives. + +There's lots more [design][] [work][] that needs to be done. For +example, I'd also like to integrate the new control center style +'Unlock' button in a way that makes sense. It gets complicated because +there's more than one thing to unlock (ie: smart cards, password +keyrings, etc.) + +Most of this is done in such a way that the pieces can be reused +elsewhere in other apps as well. Available right now in the seahorse +[refactor branch][] and depends on an up to date [build of the Gcr +library][]. Hopefully I'll be merging this into seahorse master soon. + +Oh, and thanks to [NLnet][] for sponsoring [Collabora][] to work on the +Seahorse smart card support. + +</p> + + []: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-utsxZuycKuQ/TpxZ9iNZ5oI/AAAAAAAAAjI/wM5Fxxv0FQ0/s1600/seahorse-combined-view.png + [1]: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zY7nRuOwnx0/TpxbaKD0MKI/AAAAAAAAAjY/nwlTKih3DYw/s1600/screenshot-with-places2.png + [design]: https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=656956 + [work]: https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=644214 + [refactor branch]: http://git.gnome.org/browse/seahorse/log/?h=refactor + [build of the Gcr library]: http://git.gnome.org/browse/gcr/log/ + [NLnet]: http://nlnet.nl/ + [Collabora]: http://www.collabora.com/ |