unity-design team mailing list archive

[Luke Benstead <kazade@xxxxxxxxx>]

On 18 February 2011 12:25, Luke Benstead <kazade@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> On 18 February 2011 11:10, David Stevenson <david@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>> On 18/02/11 04:38, Greg K Nicholson wrote:
>>>> Why not integrate (and hide) the menu bar in the title bar instead for
>>>> ummaximized windows?
>>>
>>> This makes sense logically.
>>
>> I also like this idea. My top panel has always been full, the first
>> thing I do on any install is to delete the bottom bar and put all the
>> information I want in the top bar. So now I need to hide information I
>> have been used to having visible to make room for menus while leaving a
>> title bar empty.
>>
>>> The massive downside to all of this is Fitts's law: the effective
>>> target area of a menu bar is vastly reduced when it isn't at the
>>> screen's edge. For that reason alone, and despite its logical and
>>> aesthetic elegance, I think we have to reject this idea.
>>
>> Have users really been having problems clicking on menus? I know we are
>> all different but I would not have thought this affected many users.
>>
>> David
>>
>
> Yeah, I don't think it's that much of a problem. Fitt's law keeps
> being quoted as an excuse to do stuff over and above other factors.
> I'm still unhappy that the global menu has been implemented despite
> not-working well with dual-monitors, focus follows mouse, or really
> large resolutions, but whenever this gets mentioned "Fitt's law" seems
> to be the overriding excuse. We need to stop putting so much emphasis
> on Fitt's law, it's only one element of good usability.
>
> My suggestion is that we shouldn't be hiding menus behind titles, it
> would be far more sensible (IMO) to consistently display the
> application name in the title bar of each window as a menu, whose
> submenu consists of the current menu bar (e.g. display "Firefox" next
> to the window controls, clicking "Firefox" would display a drop down
> menu containing "File", "Edit" etc.). If a window is maximized then
> the panel becomes the title bar.
>
> Luke.
>

Quick mockup of what I mean: http://i.imgur.com/a763I.png clicking the
orange Firefox button would bring down a drop down menu.

Luke.