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

[Maurizio Colucci <seguso forever tin it>]

Uno Engborg wrote:
> Maurizio Colucci wrote:
>
> > 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. 
>
>
> Interesting.
> Perhaps we should high light the button as they are moused over. That 
> way it people wouldn't need to see the curser to determin what button 
> they was about to click.

?? Taskbar buttons are already highlighed on mouseover.

I don't believe that's enough, as I said in another post. You know where 
you are, but you don't know how much you have to move to reach the right 
button.