1019652 - [meta] UI tweaks to help disabled/elderly users prevent doing UI actions they didn't intend

Status: NEW

(Thunderbird :: Disability Access, enhancement)

Description

[:aceman]

This meta bug intends to collect bugs that would lock down UI features of Thunderbird so they do not execute because the user didn't really want them. E.g. it may be possible to prevent mis-clicking by code detecting that has happened. Or it is possible to lock UI some elements to prevent them running an action.
This could be useful for groups like:
1.disabled people
2.elderly people
3.children
4.users with buggy hardware (e.g. misbehaving mouse buttons)
5.users with special needs
6.enterprises?

Of course, the user must voluntarily opt into this mode. The expected use case would be that an administrator installs Thunderbird for a disabled/elderly/kid/corporate user and enables this mode for him, because he expects the user to not need the disabled features.

So this could be implemented as an extension.
It could also be added into core TB and operated by a preference.
Some of the linked bugs even propose features not commonly found in mail clients, so this could be a distinguishing added value for TB.

Comment 1

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

Thanks for filing this bug report.  Worth exploring but it's definitely a challenging area. For example, we tend to wontfix bugs that "get in the user's way". [1]

I took my mother off of Thunderbird primarily because of Thunderbird's combination of complexity and, related, how easy the UI allows you to shoot your own foot, and not know it.

[1] I tried in vain a weak attempt at identifying some bugs with a query like https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/buglist.cgi?f1=short_desc&list_id=10397700&short_desc=prevent%20undo%20help%20ui%20assist%20user%20warn%20prompt&bug_severity=enhancement&o1=nowordssubstr&resolution=WONTFIX&classification=Client%20Software&classification=Components&query_format=advanced&f2=OP&short_desc_type=anywords&product=Thunderbird