Re: [Usability] Re: a nice touch from kde's kicker

[Chris Chabot <chabotc reviewboard com>]

Actualy i think the Windows XP screenshot which was linked in an earlier 
email made a good example of a good menu structure. I am not commenting 
on the way they layed out the menu (opinions on that differ, personaly i 
like it, specialy for newbees), however i am commenting on that fact 
that they went for the:

Internet
Internet Explorer

Email
Outlook Express

(initial tile in larger/bolder font then actual app name).

The reason i -love- this, is because it makes it clear to users what the 
app does! Names such as 'Yelp', 'Evolution' and 'Mozilla' (or galeon), 
do not relay this information, and might cause some user confusion. For 
the average newbee user, he doesnt 'use mozilla', no he 'is using the 
internet'.

In my opionion this is a brilliant move on XP's part.

(ps the xp screenshot was located at 
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/newsroom/winxp/images/img009.jpg)

Since we already have a relationship between default browser / editor / 
email application, why not use this info to show the user

Internet
Mozilla

Email
Evolution

Editor
gedit

As a menu titles for the applications.

   -- Chris

Calum Benson wrote:

> Josh Steiner wrote:
>
> > http://www.kde.org/screenshots/large/kde3-snapshot1.jpg
> >
> > I just wanted to throw this little piece of food for though out there, I
> > really like the way that in this screenshot kicker puts the program icons
> > on a separate background color than the text, this seems to make the menu
> > more readable to my eye.  What do people think of this from a useability
> > standpoint?
>
> I don't think it works, personally... it completely breaks the
> relationship between the icon and the associated text, IMHO.  If any
> sort of extra visual effect is needed in menus (and I'm not convinced
> that it is), something like the subtle grey/white horizontal stripes we
> have in lists and trees these days would probably work better, as that
> would be more likely to reinforce the relationship between each icon and
> its text.
>
> Cheeri,
> Calum.