- FLAVOR: Ubuntu Desktop
- HEADLINE: Iterate on the design
- DESCRIPTION: Some versions ago, there was a lot of movement in designing Ubuntu. There were general improvements like the new scrollbar, new icons, a new gtk theme, and on the other side a general push to make it more like an Apple desktop. Some of it worked, some did not. But it all feels unfinished, abandoned. Nowadays every Ubuntu version looks and feels the same, all that is changing are the geometric forms of the pink-brown desktop background, and the old issues remain untouched. There is so much unfinished stuff here one could work on:
* Integrate the modified overlay scrollbar fully into the system. It for example never worked with Firefox, despite that being your default browser. Patch FF if necessary to make it happen.
* Fix the remaining UI issues of that scrollbars, like not being able to fully scroll to the bottom if the overlay reaches the bottom of the scrollbar before the window content.
* The GTK themes could use new variants and a general modernization.
* The icon set looks dated now, and Unity does not present them very nicely. It is a great opportunity to improve the overall look.
* Make your design team actually develop a design concept linked to the new version and code name, and not produce another interchangeable wallpaper of geometric lines on brown and purple each time. Remember what you did for intrepid - it doesn't have to be brown again, it doesn't have to be an animal, but at least get some character into the design. And honestly: https://design.canonical.com/2016/04/wallpaper-design-for-xe... was a disgrace for the design community. Our Suru language is influenced by the minimalist nature of Japanese culture. We have taken elements of their Zen culture that give us a precise yet simplistic rhythm and used it in our designs. Working with paper metaphors we have drawn inspiration from the art of origami that provides us with a solid and tangible foundation to work from. Paper is also transferable, meaning it can be used in all areas of our brand in two and three dimensional forms. Sure...
* Make unity better customizeable - all that apple stuff like having window controls to the left really needs to be configurable. That's part of a good design, and something where you dropped the ball (the global menu not being absolute anymore was a good first step). Embrace the linux UI stuff like sloppy focus and windows that can be pinned to specific workspaces.
Edit: In the spirit of the last phrase, a "honor where you came from" could be a great slogan for such a UI/UX design iteration.