Recently (although possibly not final) in Ubuntu development the top
left Ubuntu button(BFB) to invoke the dash has been replaced by a
shortcut-esque icon on the launcher. This was due to usability testing
by Canonical that found that the button was not easily discoverable and
that users clicked the home button mistaking it for the dash. Although
the current solution resolves said issue, it also creates two problems:
-Lack of visual difference between BFB and shortcuts: Users may mistake the button as "just another app"
-longer time to invoke dash (as it is no longer in the top left corner
rather arbitary aiming is required to position the cursor slightly below
the panel)
I propose a differently styled buttonto the launcher icons that takes up the area of both the launcher and the panel, making it;
visually distinct, accessible via corner of the screen and easily
discoverable. This can be illustrated in the following mockup (albeit
poorly drawn).
I have done a mockup of this blueprint:
http://sites.google.com/site/gandreoliva/hybridbutton
Personally, I like the idea. I have seen that Ubuntu users, when a window is maximized, look for some place they can click in order to reveal the launcher or dash. That place is, of course, the top left button. I think that users are going to get more confused when a window is maximized where is the "main menu" (dash). A panel that simply dissapears is not intuitive. I also understand that when the launcher is shown, users see the "home button" as the "principal button". But, with this idea, the two problems are solved. A big Ubuntu button when the launcher is shown, and a little Ubuntu button in the panel when the launcher is hidden. I think it's simpler, it's more intuitive.
André Oliva.