Re: [Ayatana] A rather radical Unity design idea with mockups

[James Jenner <james.g.jenner@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Eylem,

From past discussions I've seen on here I have received the impression that the reasoning for the focus on the top left corner is based on the common left to right, top to bottom reading of most western countries. This is the explanation I saw in regards to moving the window controls from the top right to the top left and from memory this was the reasoning for having the launcher at the top left corner. I don't know if this was extended to the placement of the panel on the left (though one could view it in these terms).

I'm at a loss to explain how this benefits those who read Hebrew, Arabic, Syriac and other languages. However considering the prevalence of English as a second language and how western influence is affecting Chinese, one could consider left to right, top to bottom to be the most commonly used form of reading overall. I suspect this may be their thinking (if someone knows of a paper or publication that explains their reasoning, then I would love to read it).

That said I do agree that I have some concern about the window controls being directly below launch button as per Ubuntu 11.10 alpha 3. I think that the launch button (as described in prior posts) being a separate button at the top of the panel and in the panel makes a lot more sense than on the bar itself. If you were to change your first image such that the bar reads from top to bottom instead of bottom to top, then I don't see any issues with window controls being near the launcher. In your first example the controls will be always near the panel, just not near the launcher.

One could argue that if you want the window controls away from the side panel, then move the window controls back to the right hand side.

That said I have no particular opinion on where they should be, both the window controls and the button for the launcher. I do tend to agree with the logic of top right is natural from a reading point of view, but it's all about what your used to. Ex windows users will be used to the bottom left, OSX users to the tray at the bottom.

People seem to forget that once memory muscle is developed, it doesn't matter where it is. The Qwerty keyboard is a good example of this.

Personally I found the window controls on the left very disconcerting initially, but now I don't even think about it (memory muscle has been developed). And this is despite the fact that I use Win XP at work and Ubuntu at home. Same applies to the application menu, screen size considerations out of the way, I'm used to it and don't find it that annoying (though the hidden application menu is still irritating, to me this goes against some HCI principles, but it's arguable either way).

Regards,

James