unity-design team mailing list archive

[Josh Strawbridge <holyknightjoshua@xxxxxxxxx>]

i like these mock ups a lot.
i like the HUD idea and i really like the locally integrated menus.
that said, i really don't think the HUD will ever be a suitable replacement
for menus in programs that are mostly mouse based.
having to let go of your mouse change both your hand's positions (mouse
based UI's generally come with plenty of hotkeys so your other hand is more
likely to be closer to the shift/ctrl/super/alt keys than over the proper
typing position) type something and then move back to your original
position will be annoying.  thankfully hotkeys reduce menu uses but i have
had it happen where i've had to use menu options in gimp a lot of times
with only short uses of my stylus in between.  the thought a situation like
that happening with me having to use the HUD makes me cringe.

as far as mouse use programs go menus will always be more convenient than
having to drop your stylus/mouse and start typing only to have to pick up
the mouse/stylus again.
near everything in blender is easy with a hand on your mouse and one hand
on your keyboard. an example of why being shift+a opens the add menu at the
mouse for you to add in whatever you need to. check this video if you want
to see an example of keystrokes in blender (they're appear in white in the
lower left corner of the 3d viewport)
http://www.blenderguru.com/videos/create-a-slick-smartphone-ad

i also thought it was ridiculous in the HUD video i saw, someone using
inkscape typed out undo in the HUD instead of just hitting ctrl+z.
i can hit ctrl+z faster than i can even say undo. so even when the HUD gets
voice control functionality (epic) most of the stuff in a mouse based ui
will still be quicker to do with hotkeys and just as convenient to do with
a menu.
but please don't discriminate against the mute people or the people with
speech problems... or the people who mumble.



i'm not trying to bash the HUD or anything, i do like the idea, i just
don't think it's been thought through well enough that it should eventually
replace menus.
-- 
Josh Strawbridge