CodeName/Mozilla: Mail: Compose	UI Design Ideas
Mail Compose: Sending Feedback	Last Modification:

Author: Jennifer Glick Creation Date:  1-8-01

Status:  Draft

Summary

Related Bugs: 

• 28348 - No progress dialogue when sending mail. (Feedback when a mail message is being sent.) nsbeta1+.
• 52329 - Mail compose window disappears when sending mail. (Feedback when a mail message is being sent.) nsbeta1+. 
• 61094 - No Confirmation of Successful Message Send Displayed.

Currently, when the user composes a mail message and Sends the message, the Mail Compose window disappears immediately. This was originally done on purpose to give the perception of a fast mail application. Some usability problems have been found with this implementation.

• Users have expressed concerns of not getting adequate feedback regarding whether the message has actually been sent.  During usability testing, a frequent comment from users is "Did it get sent?".  Many even go to their Sent folder for verification. Some novice users requested the feature of a modal dialog that pops up when a message is sent. ("Don't show this dialog again".)
• The Compose window closes when sent, giving the appearance that the action was successful. If the send operation then fails, the Compose windows reappears and gives the user an error message. Since the user already thought the message was sent, this is often confusing behavior.
• There is no obvious way to cancel a send that is taking to long.

4.x Behavior

When a message is sent using 4.x:

1. The Mail Compose window remains open until the message is really sent.
2. Status of the message send operation appears in the Mail Compose window status bar (visual and text).
3. A Progress window appears on top of the Mail Compose window indicating the status of the send operation (visual and text). Note: this dialog may sometimes appear and disappear very quickly, but even the quick appearance of this dialog is helpful feedback to users.
4. A Cancel button appears on the progress dialog.  If a message is taking a long time to send, the send operation can be canceled.

Proposals

1. Implement the same (or similar) to 4.x.

1. The Mail Compose window remains open until the message is really sent.
2. Status of the message send operation appears in the Mail Compose window status bar (visual and text).
3. A Progress window appears on top of the Mail Compose window indicating the status of the send operation (visual and text). Note: this dialog may sometimes appear and disappear very quickly, but even the quick appearance of this dialog is helpful feedback to users.
4. A Cancel button appears on the progress dialog.  If a message is taking a long time to send, the send operation can be canceled.
5. Do we need a "Stop" button on Mail Compose?

2. Mail Compose window open and status bar information

1. The Mail Compose window remains open until the message is really sent.
2. Status of the message send operation appears in the Mail Compose window status bar (visual and text).
3. Do we need a "Stop" button?  Does the "Stop" button stop the send operation?  "Does it stop a large attachment from being added?"

3. Mail Compose window closes immediately but Progress dialog stays up

1. The Mail Compose Window closes immediately when the user sends the message.
2. A Progress window appears on screen  indicating the status of the send operation (visual and text).
3. A Cancel button appears on the progress dialog.  If a message is taking a long time to send, the send operation can be canceled?