Re: [Usability] Future of the menu top bar?]

[Alan Horkan <horkana maths tcd ie>]

On Thu, 11 May 2006, Shane M. Coughlan wrote:

> Date: Thu, 11 May 2006 19:08:52 +0100
> From: Shane M. Coughlan <shane shaneland co uk>
> To: usability gnome org
> Subject: Re: [Usability] Future of the menu top bar?]
>
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> Alan Horkan wrote:
> > Okay so we have Novell and Sun in one corner using a more Microsoft style
> > layout.  In the other corner we have Ubuntu and others [2] who (mostly)
> > accept the current default layout.
> > Do we need to reconsider?
>
> Hi Alan
>
> As someone who is comfortable with Windows, and uses Ubuntu, I have to
> say that I like the top menu bar.  It's clear, clean and easy-to-use.
>
> However, usability testing counts for more than opinions.  If real
> people in real situations are having trouble, the menu needs to be
> seriously examined.

I dont mind the top menu but it isn't quite as good as the Macintosh
menubar and it does mean that in a maximized window the X to close it is
no longer in top right corner.

> Semiotics would suggest that the placement of the menu at the top of the
> screen is not fitting psychologically.

Not familar with the term semiotics - the science of signs - and since I
had to look it up here's a link:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=define%3Asemiotics&btnG=Search

> The 'top' is generally
> understood to be ideological in Western cultures, with the left area
> being given to known information, the right to new information, and the
> bottom to data with less priority or the status of predictability (much
> the same as the left).  Perhaps a semiotic examination might lead to
> great insights with regards optimal placement zones for interactive objects.

Given how we read from left to right and top to bottom the goals behind
the top bar make sense and the reading direction informs most user
interface layout.

The question I was asking was not particularly about the merits of the
menu bar so much as about the issue of consistency.  The way I see it
there is a recurring question of how many distributions need to change the
Gnome defaults before we decide to push for those changes to be included?

Clearly Novell are targeting users already familiar with computers and
given their requirements it makes sense to do things similarly to
Microsoft unless they have a particular reason to do things differently
(hopefully better).  However this might not be the best choice for Gnome
but I think it is a question worth asking.

Sincerely

Alan Horkan

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