unity-design team mailing list archive

[Lee Hyde <anubeon@xxxxxxxxx>]

On 21/03/11 13:27, Thorsten Wilms wrote:
> But having to hit one target to reveal a 2nd level can't compete with
> having that level directly accessible. (One might see Marking Menus as
> an exception, where a little training allows "blind" use.)

I've found (and I can only speak for myself here of course) that after a
while navigating any vertical menu becomes second nature (or 'blind' use
as you put it). As long as the menu button is intelligently positioned
(ideally in a corner) the access time should be relatively quick. In my
experience, having to scan a horizontal menus slows menu access down for me.

In an ideal work, I'd locate application menu access (through a single
button solution) in the upper-left corner of the applications window
(obviously when maximised that coincides with the upper-left corner of
the screen) and I'd locate shell menu/places access (the access the
dash) in the lower-left corner of the screen. These are good loci for
menu access IMO, simply because an end-user can simply 'throw' the mouse
cursor into the corner. Also, oddly enough, I find that I have something
of a leftward bias when it comes to mouse navigation, though perhaps
that is a hang-up from years of using windows (where the shell/start
menu is located to the lower-left).

On 21/03/11 13:27, Thorsten Wilms wrote:
> Furthermore, nested menus may well be the worst common GUI
> widgets have to offer (even with some tricks to ease selection
> of sub-menu items, it still tends to be frustrating).

In agree that excessive nesting is problematic, if for the simple reason
that navigating from the 'parent' menu to the 'child' menu can be rather
hot and miss. I far prefer that menus be implemented in a grid type
fashion (similar to in the 'firefox button') with nesting used sparingly
(and never with adjacent 'nests').

In all, I think the one button menu solution is the way to go. I think
it offers a flexibility that traditional menu toolbars simply don't. Not
to mention that, from a purely aesthetic stand point, it would reduce
the level of clutter in Unity's panel (they're trying to fit *far* to
much in that panel!)

Anyhow, the above is just my tupence. I have a few ideas along these
lines (vis. what my ideal shell would look like) and I may create some
mock-ups when I find the time and post them in the hopes that they
provide some inspiration to someone, somewhere (somewhen?). :-)

Kind Regards,

Lee Hyde.

-- 
"There is no patent. Could you patent the sun?"

	-- Dr. Jonas Stalk, on being asked who owned the patent for his polio
vaccine

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