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Flip 3D could be more! more! useful this way

Submitted by vanessa0021 on March 16, 2009 to Aesthetics, Usability

Today's Flip 3D looks outdated and blocks the other windows in its carrousel style, it requires to use your mouse Scroll Wheel or pressing several times to flip
Windows 7 Flip 3D needs a redesign

Flip 3D should be activated using one-key shortcut ala Mac
Simply press the hot-key and click the window you want
All miniatures are 100% visible and auto resizable depending on who many you have
No more carrousel, No more strange finger positions

Some screenshots:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/49608813@N00/268201576/sizes/l/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/49608813@N00/268211895/sizes/l/

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Not fixed

Discussion (9 comments)

Indrek wrote on March 16, 2009, 7:18pm

Nice mockups.

But what do you suppose will happen once you get more than 6 open windows? The previews either get smaller and smaller, or cover each other up more and more.

Also, how does one select the window from the list? With the mouse? It should definitely be usable with just the keyboard.

.Chris wrote on March 16, 2009, 8:55pm

Be open minded indrek!

Indrek wrote on March 16, 2009, 8:59pm

Your snide remarks are getting as predictable as they are annoying, Chris.

DavidTaraso wrote on March 16, 2009, 9:22pm

Isn't this pretty well what Alt+Tab already does? Just with smaller previews.

Mackinator wrote on March 16, 2009, 9:42pm

@ Indrek's questions:

With 6 or more windows, it could just act like the current Flip 3D (with the windows in a stack). To select a window in this new version, there could be a blue glow around the selected window (which could move to other windows with the arrow keys). Alternatively, the unselected windows could be partially transparent (making the selected window obvious because of its opacity).

.Chris wrote on March 16, 2009, 10:32pm

@infrek

they, its true. You need to think out side the box.

klk wrote on March 17, 2009, 2:43am

- 1

what is the selected windows?

Indrek wrote on March 17, 2009, 11:57am

@klk: read the above comments, Mackinator suggested a few ways to indicate the current window.

@Mackinator: I wouldn't rely on opacity to distinguish the selected window. Depending on the windows, their contents and the desktop wallpaper, having transparent previews might make their contents hard to recognise at a glance (with the wallpaper showing through), thus defeating the whole purpose of having this feature. A blue glowing outline would be better.

While I agree that this would be more useful than the current implementation of Flip 3D, I'm still concerned that it's only useful with a small number of windows. Plus, users might be confused when they see different behaviour with a different number of windows.

JJohnson wrote on March 17, 2009, 7:27pm

I would appreciate an option to select the current Flip 3D option 'carousel' as you put it, as well as an option to have it be a vertical or horizontal stack, where the last window either fades in as it does now, or flip to the back as you flip through. It would be interesting and a nice addition.

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