unity-design team mailing list archive

[Kévin PEIGNOT <winniemiel05@xxxxxxxxx>]

I would like to submit for discussion a problem I found with the
design/ergonomy of the new overlay scrollbars. Maybe it's only me, but
even if I usually adapt myself quickly to almost every design changes,
in this case I can't after one week and a half of intense use.
 
Here is the problem:

There is a part of a window (with text, icon...everything possible...)
that need scrollbars. the scrollbar is on the side of this part (no
matter what side, the problem is the same). I think there are two cases:

     1. Your mouse is already in this part. You just have to move your
        mouse in the side direction, the scollbar buttons appear, it's
        ok.
     2. The problem: if your mouse isn't already in this part. You must
        send back your mouse in the part, and go back to the scrollbar
        to have scroll buttons appearing. This is a little come back,
        but there are applications in witch you do this very often (as
        gwibber, with only one flux, to scroll up and down in the left
        part of the window, to select witch flux to display). 


User intend to see the buttons as soon as he is on the scrollbar,
without having to think 'I must come back 2 pixels'. I do not know what
is the best way to avoid this, but I think both of the three next
solutions are better:

      * Solution 1: having the buttons always in the part, never out of
        the window (as it happens for maximized windows). This way, when
        your mouse arrive close to the scrollbar, buttons always appear,
        and you never have to come back with your mouse to use them :
        just keep your direction. THe matter is that it hide a little
        miece of of the part in which you are scrolling. But this part
        is so little, that it will not be often disturbing, and if
        disturbing, just move a little your mouse. THis will happens
        less time than the go-back move.
      * Solution 2: Having the buttons appearing, in the same place than
        actuallly, but having them appearing even if your mouse comes
        from out of the part you want to scroll. but I think (just an
        idea, no tests, that this way, they will appear a little bit too
        often)
      * Solution 3: having the possiblity to click and drag the
        scrollbar, even if you mouse is not on the buttons, but is on
        the orange bar. This do not really solve the matter (I think),
        as the clickable place would be very little.

These solutions are proposals, and as I'm not a develloper, I'm not able
to produce code to try this. But I think you really should think about
this problem, I will not be the only people affected (and it will be
worse with Oneiric, when overlay scrollbars will be used more, because
there should be less compatibility issues). What do you think of these
solutions? have you other ones?