LabVIEW users need a BIGGER "Run" arrow

[Petru.T]

All VIs should have a BIG “Run” arrow.

The “Run” arrow is the button that is used the most on the Front Panel of any VI. Hence, it should be easier to click (by being bigger) than “Run Continuously “, “Abort” or “Pause”, which are the same size but much more rarely used.

Because it takes me 1 or 2 seconds to find and click the “Run” arrow, I always use the <Ctrl-R> shortcut. However, through teaching LabVIEW courses and LabVIEW Hands-on sessions, I noticed that even users with several months if not years experience in LabVIEW are unaware of the shortcut and use the “Run” arrow instead.

Making the button bigger would save a second or so each time we run a VI, which makes LabVIEW that bit more user-friendly.

(I am sure the UI R&D folks can make the arrow look better than in the image above.)

Best Regards,

Petru

[SteenSchmidt]

I disagree.

LabVIEW is already so mouse-intensive that it's a health hazard. Promoting using the mouse instead of learning a very common keyboard shortcut isn't the way forward IMO.

Cheers,

Steen

[Petru.T]

I agree that using the shortcut is the easiest way of running a VI, and that's not going to change. But why not help many LabVIEW users who don't use the shortcut, like I mentioned in my initial post? I would be interested to hear a way of better promoting the shortcut.

Making the "Run" arrow bigger won't encourage experienced users to click it more - they already know about <Ctrl-R>, but would make life easier for less experienced users who constitute a significant proportion of the total number of users.

Regards,

Petru

[tst]

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@Petru.T wrote:

The “Run” arrow is the button that is used the most on the Front Panel of any VI.

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Not in my case. I'm pretty sure there are several buttons I use more than that, even when you factor in other ways of running the VI.

I wouldn't want the run arrow to take up a lot of real estate, as running VIs isn't something I do very often and I would rather the area be used for something else. The vast majority of my time is spent writing code and a relatively small amount of time is spent running it, and the actual transition between the two is rare enough that I'm fine with the options we have today.

I'm sure this applies to pretty much everyone, although I'm also sure there are usage patterns which require more running. I understand how what you're saying could apply to beginners, but in the pecking order of "what should be bigger" I wouldn't put the run arrow near the top even for them.

[Petru.T]

Not knowing that the <Ctrl-R> shortcut exists (as is the case of most users getting started with LV), the Run button is used more often than any other toolbar buttons, as it is pressed at least once per execution. On the other hand, Pause, Abort and Continuously Run are harldy ever used by begginers, and rarely used by experienced users. What are the several other buttons that you are using more often? (I assume we are excluding controls and indicators - anyone can make those as big or small as they want.)

As a comparison, when is the last time you used the "Continuously Run" button? Most applications contain loops. Running them continuously rarely makes sense, yet the size of "Continuously Run" is the same as the "Run" button and they are placed right next to each other!!

In terms of running VIs, my experience shows that most people (including myself) run the VI every time another significant bit of functionality is added. This is especially true for the main, top-level VI. This makes for running the VI dozens of times during development.

In conclusion, reiterating at the risk of being redundant, new users always use the Run button. Take into account all the users that have never had time or interest to sit the Core 1 course, thus being unaware of the <Ctrl-R> or any other shortcuts. Why not make their first experience with LabVIEW better? Why not give experienced users a more pleasant interaction by differentiating and emphasising the most important default buton on the front panel?

If  the Run button is not important for experienced users, I challenge everyone reading this thread to never use it ever again! If you find yourselves (like I do) pressing it from time to time (while mostly using the shortcut) then it means that differentiating the Run button will indeed benefit all of us, not just new users.

[tst]

This reminds me of the story of the ribbon design in Office 2007 - Microsoft has added a great number of features to Office over the years and they had a problem where people couldn't find the features and where they didn't have any feedback as to what people actually do, so they had to make anecdotal guesses. They ended up having a feature which collected actual usage data from real users and used that to determine what people actually used. NI has a similar mechanism (CEIP), but I don't know exactly what kind of data is collected there. I expect that button clicks are collected, so if they have enough people actually enrolled in the program, they can probably give better answers as to what people do.

I can say that personally I would probably not be very happy if the toolbar started having buttons with different sizes. I happen to like the relatively muted colors and uniform look of the toolbar, as I don't want it to be a distraction. I would have less of a problem with this idea if we had the ability to select from several toolbars or to customize the toolbar, but I'm not overly happy with that last one, as there is something to be said for consistency and predictability.

And no, I'm not saying the run button isn't important for experienced users. I use it occasionally, just like I use the other buttons there. I probably use it more than them, but I think it is visually distinct enough at the moment. Certainly I think it stands out more than the run button you get with other compilers, where the run button is usually somewhere in the middle (as opposed to being first in LV) and lost between quite a lot of other buttons. What might be nice was if it was separated a little from the rest, so that you wouldn't click the second button by accident, but since in practice they are usually functionally equivalent, that doesn't bother me that much.

[AristosQueue (NI)]

> Not knowing that the <Ctrl-R> shortcut exists (as is the case of most users getting started with LV),

> the Run button is used more often than any other toolbar buttons, as it is pressed at least once

> per execution. On the other hand, Pause, Abort and Continuously Run are harldy ever used by

> begginers, and rarely used by experienced users.

Citation needed. Links to usability studies?

[JÞB]

At the risk of sounding like I want to deforest the earth:  why not include the quick reference guide in the printed material that ships with LabVIEW?

[elset191]

Because nobody reads manuals.

[Petru.T]

Completely agree with Jeff! The Quick Reference Guide should be much more visible. Besides shipping it with LabVIEW, I think it should be included in the LabVIEW Core 1 course. 

[Darren]

Any idea that has not received any kudos within a year after posting will be automatically declined.