I have seen a couple of approaches online on this:

1. Use a dot to the side or corner that appears only on new applications
2. The Windows way is to highlight the new application in the start menu
3. New applications get a shortcut on the desktop
4. The new application appears first in a list of applications within a menu

Maybe others that are cool:

1. Bounce an icon in the dashboard showing the new application and its location
2. Add a new icon on the taskbar

Unity and macOS put the new app in the Dock, too. The Plasma equivalent would be automatically pinning it to the Task Manager (if there is a Task Manager). That might be a bit invasive though, soncidering that by default, we don't ship with any apps pinned to it.

I don't think a desktop shortcut would be a good idea; too Windowsy, and we don't encourage app launchers on the desktop in other contexts.

Somehow highlighting newly-installed apps in our menu/launcher/whatever seems like the right approach to me.

Highlighting them in the menu is a good idea and it also is what Windows does (since quite a few versions)

I don't think pinning to the task manager is an option, since

1. pins are currently activity dependend, so either we pin it to all (very very very invasive) or only to one (which one to choose?)
2. it will not work terribly well with icons only, where pins look a lot like running applications, plus it's also invasive.

and I don't think icon on the desktop is a good idea either, not only invasive, but depending on the desktop icons already there it will clutter up and not provide any help at all.

On Android I am used to find the app in the app launcher, same on Windows and iOS, so I think that's where it needs to be highlighted, if at all.

Note that by default in the default launcher, the favourites tab is open (please do not add it there), so the highlight would already have to start on the all apps tab.

In T7913#143262, @Fuchs wrote:

Note that by default in the default launcher, the favourites tab is open (please do not add it there), so the highlight would already have to start on the all apps tab.

That takes us here: https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=391275

In essence, we would have a dynamic tab that shows favorites, newly-installed apps, and recent apps. I think with enough design work, it could be really slick.

What about a blue dot on the launcher icon and a new tab in the launcher named "newly installed"? The dot will disappear when the user will open the newly installed tab.

Ping?

I think we're all in agreement that we want to do this; it's just up to us to finalize the appearance and UX, and for a friendly local Plasma developer to start working on it. I seem to recall talking with @hein a few months ago and he said he'd planned to work on something like this.

Great! Do we have any lenience to a specific design?

I think that's still somewhat up in the air.

My preference is for a combined "recents/favorites/newly installed" view.

This view would basically show a dynamic assortment of recently-used apps and documents, with newly-installed apps (badged or highlighted in some way) appearing there too for a certain amount of time, with the ability to manually pin apps and documents to make them appear on top of the view with a different badge/highlight/whatever.

The idea is that it would be a sort of "Important and recently relevant stuff for you" view.

I would be in favor of that plus a special visual look for those items.

Here is an exceptionally crude low-fi wireframe mockup of the sort of thing I'm imagining:

This also incorporates a couple of other changes to Kickoff that I've been mulling over recently, culminating with the idea of a new Home tab which basically incorporates the most useful parts of some of the other tabs. For example the Favorites section is just like a mini version of Kicker's current Favorites tab (with the additional feature that you can make Documents favorites too). The Recent Documents and Recent Apps are likewise mini versions of what's available on Kickoff's existing History tab. Same with the Power section at the bottom.

Also, can't forget the Forget buttons, given the focus on privacy!

I love the idea and I think it has a lot of potential. We have the chance to solve a very recurrent and old issue with our desktop. I think we need to move forward with this and also the HOME tab idea. Users will find their important items closer and faster. I would only ask that we also add the red dot to the tab with the new items. Just in case our users want to reorder their tabs and Home is not first. Also to have a fast clue into new items. Is that possible?

Oh sure, we could and should also add new apps to the existing History tab and badge them there, just like in the mockup for the Home tab here.

Glad you like it!

Right on! What do you we need to make this a reality?

Pitch it to the Plasma devs, I guess. Maybe at the upcoming 5.14 kickoff meeting?