The current filter box has a magnifying glass icon which is confusing to end users who think it means search. When then try to search with it and don't get the results they expect, they just write it off as "GroupWise is crap" -- feedback from our end users.
Instead, have a master search box at the top that searches EVERYWHERE. Put an "advanced" icon if people want to narrow the scope of the search but essentially, make it the main search function. Look EVERYWHERE. Address books, rules, all folders... shared folders... everywhere.
Search is everything.
by: Willem B. | over a year ago | Windows Client
Comments
We have taught all of our users to use the magnifying glass in the menu bar, not the search this window(context) part.
That's no solution. Document the bugs and call them features.
The operative point here is new users and training... use/don't use, they'll use that filter box accidentally, what window had the focus again -- oops, all my calendar appointments are gone now... these are very common mistakes. This is why one master search box is needed. Make the software work like people expect things to work.
IMHO,
End users wants things made "simple", not to be "taught" how to workauround something not working as expected. It is not their mistake the use of a mangnifying glass (= search) for a "filter box" of obscure meaning (for them).
I completely agree.
The search for everywhere would be a great addition, but please include searching through the archive as well. Our users currently have to do searches through their regular mailbox, then have to switch over to the archive to search there as well. Most of our users "forget" to search through their archive and just think the message is gone (and complain)
Indexing and searching of a local archive may be impossible to achieve as GW never knows where that archive file is or may not have access to that at all.
The question is 'why' do 'you' use the GW archive function? What I see in the field is that there was never a really good reason users used this function other then cause it's there and think the messages are save cause those ar achived. This GW archive function not only limits you in your search, but also there is the risk of file corruption, it makes your data set bigger (the GW data store gets smaller but the total amount of data to backup gets bigger), user could loose the archive (case local on laptop), users could have multiple archives (case not configured right; confusing), you cannot access you archive remote with WebAcc or with a mobile device mail App.
The better way to solve this problem is to use a real archiving solution like GWAVA Retain which has the ability to archive all your messages and allows you to search those form anywhere. This may ba a too expensive and feature rich solution for part of the GW customer so what I from a GW perspective would like to see is an 'Archive Postoffice' function where my postoffice 'just' runs and separate PO instance online on an 'appliance' with a lot of storage. If I as a user would select 'Archive' the message gets archived not locally bot to the PO-Archive. As this PO Archive system is online:
* it is searchable and be 'easily' integrated with the user PO search index (if my PO knows there is a PO Archive it could merge that search index)
* allows for archive/restore actions(these 'functions' are already in the PO and client code as they are also leveraged by offline archive and Reload/Retain)
* could perform 'continuous archiving' as a PO shadow system.
This would create a simple and very usable archive for most customers leveraging technology already in the Client and Postoffice agent without the whistles and bells of Retain.