The Future of Desktop+'s Interface

[elvissteinjr]

Desktop+'s UI is often seen as one of the weaker aspects of the application. And I don't disagree. I'm not a UI designer and I'd consider myself a power user, not afraid of experimenting a little or reading documentation if I really get stuck.
To me the UI just needs to make functionality accessible. And that it still kind of does.

The current interface works, but with added functionality over time it's slowly growing out of proportion.
The thing is that I don't agree with the typical philosophy of simplified redesigns that work worse and lose a lot of functionality.

Redoing the interface is more of a long-term goal as I typically prefer spending time on actual new functionality, but it's still something I'd like to do eventually.
So this topic is meant as a way to collect ideas from the actual users, if you have any. You all probably use the application very differently from how I do and want to see different things.

Usually I'd say "post away", but I want you to consider the a few things when bringing up your concepts:

• Looking at similar applications for inspiration is fine of course, but telling me to just copy them doesn't help (and I won't go and buy them to do that either). Be more specific.
  
• Desktop+ is a SteamVR overlay application which comes with a set of restrictions. If your idea goes beyond 2D planes in the VR space it's probably not viable.
  
• There is a desktop mode to access most settings from a desktop window when no tracked controllers are available. VR interactions are cool, but shouldn't be only way to get something done.
  
• It would be beneficial if the interface stays mostly accessible with just a head-tracked laser pointer as well (HMDs with a button while no tracked controllers connected).
  
• Nothing is free. The current UI makes effort to have as little performance impact as possible, but the mere fact of updating it when visible leaves a mark already.
  
• This first and foremost about covering existing functionality in a new way. But if your UI concept makes a new function a very natural addition, add that stuff.

Posting anything here means you allow me to use your ideas.
I do have some of my own, but as said, I'd rather collect some from you first if you have anything.

Thank you.

[[MM] WMan22]

Basically the only things I personally would like to see are:
-An easier to find checkbox to toggle mouse usage of monitors that remain active when the steamVR overlay is closed
-Being able to select active program windows to display instead of entire monitors without having to manually crop a monitor to focus on something specific and allowing that to be saved to a config
-Making it more clear that you can only adjust new instances of monitors, not the default dashboard.
-Drag based cropping, as in, I can create a square by dragging the corner of a selection box open on the dashboard multiple file select-style to create a new instance for a cropped display.

Basically, my suggestions are "idiot-proofing" type ones, since I unfortunately tend to be an idiot when it comes to these things sometimes. I wouldn't be surprised if the active program window selection suggestion was already in the program.

[elvissteinjr]

Originally posted by MM WMan22:

-Being able to select active program windows to display instead of entire monitors without having to manually crop a monitor to focus on something specific and allowing that to be saved to a config

The Graphics Capture capture method can capture windows directly and has a selection of the currently available windows. That selection is also stored and tried to be restored if the window (or the next best match based on title and application) exists on the next time the config or profile is loaded.
For Desktop Duplication, the crop is what it is. Though there is still a button to have the crop match the currently focused window. Doesn't follow it or anything and the window could be covered up at any time.

One of the things I'm likely gonna do is defaulting to Graphics Capture if available and put more focus on what to capture before even creating an additional overlay.

Originally posted by MM WMan22:

-Making it more clear that you can only adjust new instances of monitors, not the default dashboard.

The new quick start guide at least mentions this, but you're not wrong. It might even make more sense to remove that restriction entirely, though it may lead to complaints of empty dashboard tabs instead, heh. It seems to be a major point of confusion in any case and deserves some thought.

All in all valid points of course. Thanks.

[N4m33b]

I like the simple UI, i prefer that to something fancier and more performance heavy. I have only 2 things i would like to see and i don't know if they are possible:

1- A way to set the gpu target scale, horse power and stuff that allows to increase the resolution of the dashboard (i created a script to do this everytime i turn on steam and i don't know if it's possible to do so while steam is active)

2- A always showing button menu that allows me to press buttons while in games to press keys or key combinations (thinking about games like elite dangerous in VR to be able to do stuff while looking at a menu attached on my wrist or something). I guess what i would like is an interactable menu/window while playing games.

Again, this is stuff i don't know if its possible but it would be something i would love to have. Other than that, i've been loving the app.
Thank you Elvis

[Cea]

As a proper windows power-user (full-stack programmer and game developer (both artistic and technical)), here's my main feature wish-list (not sure how viable they are, but they would be a real productivity increase):

- A Virtual Infinite Monitor Mode.
By this I mean, a virtual cursor that gets moved by mouse inputs and can be moved between different visible layouts as if the VR space was was a single infinite monitor and the layouts were merely windows on this monitor. When the virtual cursor hits a layout, move the real cursor to the corresponding location.

- When using Ctrl+Win+Left/Right to switch between virtual desktops in Windows, it would be sweet if Desktop+ could remember layouts per virtual desktop, such that Different workspaces could be set up with Desktop+ and just using the keyboard shortcut would completely change the active set of layouts to the windows open on that virtual desktop, and even better if it could support pinned windows as well. (from "Switch Task" > Right Click > "Show this window on all desktops"). Some windows (like Spotify) could be really useful to keep around in the same place regardless of which workspace is active.

- When grabbing a layout, it can currently be moved, and joystick up/down moves it closer/further. What I'm missing here is that joystick left/right should scale the layout.

- Given the first two suggestions, I'd love some sort of higher-level layout-group switcher as well. Like, having one layout-group that's for PC gaming that has my main monitor/layout huge and in front, with some smaller layouts around me with other windows like a twitch stream, and then having the ability to change to a different layout-group that's set up for productivity, with 7 floating layouts placed around me corresponding to different open windows.

I've been drooling over VR as basically a monitor-replacement for years, but the software to do so (and hardware really) has really been lacking. I'm still on a Rift CV1, so I wouldn't be able to benefit from the changes I mentioned without updating my hardware, but I do plan on upgrading my hardware in the not-too-distant future. I'm the kind of user that has 3 large monitors, and somehow still always run out of space. I'm really looking to use Desktop+ as a computer interface (almost like an OS Shell), rather than accessing a simple computer window from within a VR experience as I assume is the more common use-case for this.