Explanation Area Extension
Problem: When a user hovers over an application icon, only a tooltip with its name appears, while hovering on any other elements of gnome shell, like workspace or system status icons there are no tips whatsoever of what those things do. For a relatively experienced user, it's fine to explore a new environment by "trial and error". For an unexperienced person, however, especially an elderly one, it's hard and sometimes confusing to tell, for example, what opera is for or what that little icon in the corner does. They ask them self constantly trying to remember "What that thing is here for? What does it do? What happens if i click that? Will the computer turn off?"
Solution: A special extension could help greatly improve the situation. Starts by default after fresh installation and optionally could be deactivated in tweak tool. On hover of any icon or other elements in gnome elements a tooltip pops up or maybe even a special explanation area. It informs the users what those icons do if activated, and what things would get affected by those actions. So hovering over, let's say, network icon in system status area, a message like "Show and Connect to Networks" could greatly improve the confidence of a user who doesn't know what that icon does. The messages, from linguistic point, are written in present tense and consist of a verb(action) and noun(subject of the action)
A more detailed explanation of the idea could be found here http://forums.worldofgnome.org/discussion/105/explanation-area-extension
Hovering on top of the Firefox Icon in the dash will let us know that it's used for "Browse the Web". Also under the suggestion, we notice a useful information (in this case version of he software).
What does gedit do?
Transmission? Does it has anything to do with my car?
Explanation areas when one of the workspaces is hovered
