Re: [Ayatana] Redesigning the Ubuntu mouse cursor for simple notification of app attention

[Jan-Christoph Borchardt <jan@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

On 5 May 2010 01:22, Shane Fagan <shanepatrickfagan@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> What im thinking is that if something is going on in the background that
> may not need a notification but a user may want to go to like an app
> opening or just that the app needs attention. So my idea is that the
> mouse cursor displays the icon of the app (for a few seconds) that needs
> attention if its not focused. I know that the window list at the bottom
> of the screen indicates that the app needs attention but the user always
> has an eye on the mouse so it makes sense to put some indications there
> too.


I like that idea very much, never thought of it. Some further thoughts:

There are many times when I just oversee a blinking window or a
notification because it is so far away from my focal point (which is
mostly the center of the screen).

Meanwhile, the mouse cursor is the extension of the hand + finger and
an eye follower. To quote
http://live.gnome.org/User%20Interface%20Patterns/Zooming : »When
people view an image onscreen, they subconsciously move the mouse
cursor near their focal point.«

On the other hand, there is the point that notifications directly in
the face of the user are highly distracting. We would have to choose
wisely, which information is conveyed by the cursor.