OpenWetWare:Feature list/Lab notebook/2007 Oct Brainstorming/Ricardo

General Thoughts

• I believe that the user interface is at the center of the success of ELNs.
• The ability to insert different types of data (graphs, formulas, chemisty related data, etc) is already possible to some extent but it is the way this info has to be inserted is what might turn new wiki-using scientists away fairly easily.
• Making note-taking as easy as possible and ensuring things don't break at the same time is very important.

Features/Ideas

• When creating/editing a page, all the relevant tools should be available to the user. When I say available, I mean a click away and without having to change tabs/windows or even the current edit page.
  • This means that somehow there should be a way to allow one step uploading of files (one or multiple) with a listing of the latest uploads for easy inclusion. Sort of what is available in wordpress admin panel (I think this is possible with or without ajax)
  • Make it possible to locate similar pages to link to.
  • When creating a page, maybe a list of page types (protocol, lab, class, etc) could be offered to pre-populate the edit textarea. Instead of copy+pasting the template, it could be done on the fly.