523525 - [meta] Session Restore UI (3.7): The user's previous session should be viewable in the content area

Status: NEW

(Firefox :: Session Restore, enhancement)

Description

[Alex Faaborg [:faaborg] (Firefox UX)]

Note: this is a meta tracking bug for UI mockups and discussion of the overall user experience.

This bug is kind of half Places half session restore.  Similar to displaying the contents of a bookmark folder, tag, or history range in the content area (bug  523524), this bug is to use that same type of information display to render the user's previous session.

The overall goal is to move the decision to continue with a session from the end of using Firefox, to the start of using Firefox the next time (through placement on the Home Tab).  Moving the ability to restore to the start places less cognitive load on the user at the end of their interaction with the browser ("I need to decide if I want to keep these things for later or not"), and moves it to a situation where they have more context (instead of "later", "now").  The other assumption is that users simply have more time to think about the question when they are just starting up Firefox as opposed to when they are off to go do something else.

Also, on a purely "personality of Firefox" level, dialogs on quit are in some ways slightly belligerent:

User: "I am done with Firefox (hits close)"
Firefox: "no you aren't [modal dialog with question]"

Unfortunately the current solution to this behavior getting in the way is to remove user control (they can no longer make a decision on a case by case basis).  So users who have opted to consistently never remember their session (even though that is only actually relevant 75% of the time), will now have increased control and can benefit from the capabilities of session restore.

Comment 1

[Mike Beltzner [:beltzner, not reading bugmail]]

Resolved in Firefox 4?

Comment 2

[Paul O'Shannessy [:zpao] (not bugmail, email directly)]

I would say so, but I'll let Alex make that call since it's his tracking bug