I’m more and more using RM8 for my production data entry, even though I move such newly entered data back to my production RM7 database using GEDCOM for the transfer. I realize that big things in RM8 are not likely to change, but using RM8 regularly for my production data entry really emphasizes to me how much improvement in the user experience could be achieved by lots of little changes. Here is one such proposed small change.
I tend to go to the Settings tab a lot, but the tab moves depending on whether or not I have a database open. My muscle memory when I need to go to Settings is to go to the third tab in the list, but after a database is open the Settings tab moves to be the eleventh tab in the list. I suspect that the purpose of this design was to keep the Settings tab as the last in the list because the first and last items in a list are easiest to find. But that’s not how muscle memory works. Also, the list is too long to be an unbroken list. It would be much easier to navigate if it were to be broken apart just a bit. Also, the icons and text are too big. Curiously, it’s just as bad for icons and text to be too big as to be too small.
I have attached two images of how the tabs could look. The first image is rearranged and the same size as is currently the case in RM8 . The second image is rearranged and reduced to 80% of the original size. I think using either one of these would make RM8 easier to use, and I really would prefer the smaller one. I’m hoping the different sizes show up after I post. In the preview, they look the same size.
