[bookport] Re: Experiences on Note Taking with the BP
- From: "pam bilton" <pbilton@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <bookport@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 18 Mar 2005 19:57:36 -0500
That sounds like a good idea Pete!
Pam Bilton
----- Original Message -----
From: "ptorpey" <ptorpey@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <bookport@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, March 18, 2005 9:07 AM
Subject: [bookport] Experiences on Note Taking with the BP
> Let me start by saying that I think the note taker function being beta
> tested now is a great enhancement to the Bookport's functionality and
> will be very useful.
> However, I have a few observations from working with the note taker and
> a few suggestions on making it more user-friendly and easier to use.
>
> First, as many have pointed out on this list, the Bookport is primarily
> a reading device. Thus, the note taking function will probably be used
> intermittently or on rare occasions by many users. This means that
> users may not be as conversant with the note taking functions/keystrokes
> as they would with many of the other more routinely used Bookport
> functions/keystrokes. Therefore, in lieu of a "key learn" or "key
> speak" mode which can quickly refresh the user's memory of what
> keystrokes perform what function, it is particularly important that the
> functions/keystrokes be intuitive and easy to remember.
>
> In particular, before the beta is officially released, I think it is
> worthwhile considering modifying some of the keystroke combinations
> currently used in the Bookport's note taker mode. Most of the keyboard
> and functions for the note taker are well laid out. Some keystrokes I
> find particularly difficult to remember are things like "mark", "paste",
> "go to mark", etc. To me these keystrokes do not seem to be intuitive
> and, using the note taker only occasionally, I am prone to forget these.
>
>
> Since we do have a braille keyboard in the note taker, here is my
> suggestion for a more intuitive and user-friendly approach to assigning
> functions. As with the "find" command, which uses shift + f (dots
> 1-2-4), I think it would be a good idea to assign shifted character
> keystrokes to other functions. Proper assignment of the shifted
> character would provide the user with a simple mnemonic by which to
> remember the function without having to move to the manual and search
> for the desired function.
>
> Here are some examples:
>
> 1. Shift + P = paste contents of clipboard
> (alternately, shift + V to paste as is common in Windows)
> Note: the note taker does use shift + C to copy to clipboard, so
> this is a simple extension
> 2. Shift + G = go to mark
> 3. Shift + M = mark text at this point
> 4. Shift + d = delete characters between the mark and the cursor
> 5. Shift + R = read from current position
> 6. shift + t = go to top of note document
> 7. shift + e = go to end of note document
> 8. shift + o = open a new note
> 9. shift + n = if in a document, go to last note opened, if
> pointing to a note open current note for edit.
>
> Well, you get the idea. With so many functions and keystrokes to
> remember in a mode which may not be used as frequently as other modes, a
> mnemonic based system would be very helpful.
>
> What do others think?
>
>
> -- Pete
>
>
>
>
>
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