view contacts as photo gallery
~enhancement ~"GUI upgrade" [MODERNISATION FEATURE]
feature suggestion
as an alternative view to the standard list view (table).
context
Similarly to the business card view (#363), this idea is part of an effort to modernize the address book and increase its visual appeal by diversifying the viewing options.
references
- requested in Thunderbird Bug 1456645: [enhancement] view address book contacts as photo gallery
- mentioned in the forum: https://cardbook.6660.eu/forums/topic/alternate-to-the-list-view
behaviour
- The user can interact with the photo thumbnails in the same way as with list items or business cards:
- clicking a thumbnail selects it and displays the contact details in the contact pane
- double-clicking a thumbnail edits the contact
- thumbnails can be dragged+dropped to other address books
conceptual screenshot
benefits
- a contact list of people you have never met, but who you collaborate with over the Net.
- Or a list of employees of a large company's department.
- We forget names rather than faces. I know all the people I worked with in my former company 15 years ago the very second I look at their photographs, but I couldn't for the life of me recall their names.
So depending on the user case, this feature can considerably improve the user's interaction with Thunderbird's address book.
rationale
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Thunderbird users are waiting for some kind of photo list view for 20 years now.
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This enhancement would be a unique feature among competing email clients, including even flagship products such as standard-bearer Outlook. Outlook offers a wide variety of different views for its address book contacts. Thunderbird stands to gain a lot when catching up on that front by adopting Outlook's business card view and going one step further with a photo gallery view.
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By absorbing previously external add-on features and integrating Lightning (and hopefully soon CardBook!), Thunderbird has transitioned from a mere eMail client to a solid and robust Personal Information Manager. But there is a consensus in the community that Thunderbird's native address book is the component farthest lagging behind in that regard and in dire need of modernization. This feature would go a long way in making up ground – both visually and functionally.
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Text tables are useful. But in the social media age email clients have visually evolved (click on image below).
Thunderbird's address book should visually follow the lead into the 21st century.