Re: [Usability] Locating the mouse pointer when it is on the bottom of the screen?

[Maurizio Colucci <seguso forever tin it>]

Maurizio Colucci wrote:
> Hello,
>
> It is common knowledge that buttons anchored to the edges of the screen 
> are easier to click, even if they are small: it is like the button had 
> an infinite dimension along one axis. For example, if you have a button 
> to the top edge of the scrren, you abruptly move the mouse vertically to 
> the top of the screen, to the very last pixel, and then you only need to 
> adjust your pointer horizontally.
>
> For this reason, I believe, Gnome (or at least Ubuntu Gnome) uses two 
> panels by default, instead of one: because they can be put at the two 
> edges of the screen, exploiting this logic.
>
> The problem is that the bottom panel is not as easy to use as the 
> topmost one because, if I move the mouse to the bottom of the screen, to 
> the very last pixel, I don't see the mouse pointer anymore! It is 
> difficult to understand where I am pointing.
>
> Unfortunately, the bottom panel contains the taskbar, which is much more 
> frequently used than the other panel.
>
> Of course I can move the taskbar, but other people may not be able to do 
> it, and in general it is a pity to waste a useful edge of the screen.
>
> I thought maybe the problem could be solved by flipping the mouse 
> pointer vertically when the mouse is on the bottom edge of the screen. 
> What about it?
>
> Mau

I may have made a curious discovery: I watched four people who usually 
keep the window-list (=taskbar) on bottom and two people who keep it on 
top (sorry, I don't know anyone else who does).

It seems that who keeps the taskbar on top tends to move the mouse 
towards the buttons in a straight diagonal line, then adjust only 
horizontally. On the other hand, who uses the taskbar on bottom tends to 
reach the button along a curved line, the end of which is vertical.

The latter behavior is of course less logical and efficient. I guess 
they developed this habit _because_ of the limitation of not seeing the 
cursor when it is on the absolute bottom.


Mau