[OPEN-ILS-GENERAL] Feedback requested on patron editor in web client

[Kathy Lussier]

Hi all,

MassLNC has been working with Bill Erickson on a project to move the 
patron editor to AngularJS. As with the other pieces of the web client 
project, we are looking at maintaining feature parity with the old client.

Bill has begun the work and has created a semi-functional wireframe to 
demonstrate the layout of the form. The wireframe brings up one area 
where an element that worked well in the xul client may not work so well 
in the web client.

In the xul client, we have a floating box to the right of the form where 
the Save and Save & Clone buttons are available as well as the options 
to show required, suggested or all fields. The floating box follows you 
along as you scroll up and down the form so that the Save buttons are 
always in easy reach.

The same thing happens in the new Angularized editor, but I'm not sure 
it works as well in the web client. I think it might be a good time to 
consider whether the way we handled this in the old client is the way we 
should handle it in the web client or if there are other ways we might 
be able to provide these options.

I have a screencast showing the current version of the new patron 
editor. 
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B74gDMUDwDXqM3NjbTZfRjY3RW8/view?usp=drivesdk

At a typical screen resolution, the box with the save options travels 
with you without much trouble, although it does get a little awkward 
when you're scrolling over the separators with the green background. If 
you reduce the screen resolution, we do see a problem where the Save 
area overlaps with the input boxes. I don't know how much of a problem 
this will be since it seems to work fine at resolutions used by 
desktops, laptops, and tablets. However, it could be problematic at 
resolutions used on phones.

I have a couple of questions:

1. Although I strongly believe the Save and the Save & Clone buttons 
should be in easy reach of the user at any location in the patron 
registration form, I'm not so sure that the options to view required, 
suggested or all fields needs to be there. What do you all think? Are 
those options that you are likely to click when you are at different 
places in the form? Or is it something you set as soon as you load the 
form? If it's the latter, I think the top of the patron registration 
form might be a nice location for them.

2. Is the floating box the best location for the Save and Save & Clone 
buttons or is there some other way we can keep these options in easy 
reach. When we first started working on this project, I looked at the 
mockup Julia Lima worked on for the Evergreen UI Style Guide project as 
a reference. 
http://media.tumblr.com/69beec7802a938b889bdfa80c7e0d54b/tumblr_inline_nkn0okinXl1t572gy.png

She had placed the "Save" button along the top bar, but I could only see 
that working if the top navigation bar in the web client stuck to the 
top of the screen. We could certainly place the Save buttons at both the 
top and bottom of the screens, but the form is long enough that I could 
see cases where you would be in the middle of the form when you hit your 
save point.

Any ideas on how we might be able to offer easy access to these Save 
options in a different way?

Thanks in advance!
Kathy

Kathy Lussier
Project Coordinator
Massachusetts Library Network Cooperative
(508) 343-0128
klussier at masslnc.org
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kmlussier