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

[Roberto Rosselli Del Turco <rosselli ling unipi it>]

Il giorno gio, 11/05/2006 alle 18.04 +0100, Alexandre Silva ha scritto:
> The layout change to me will really be just a minor annoyance as long
> they don't force me to use the panel on the bottom.
> As far as usability goes i discovered i am much more confortable using
> the top panel for the menu (heck i just use one top panel for
> everything). Even now whenever i get to use a windows box the first
> thing i do is pull the bar to the top. Can't really talk about usability
> tests but i feel more confortable that way.

I believe that's because usually menus are drop down, not push up: it's
way easier (at least for me) to push up the mouse cursor to a Fitts' Law
complying target on an upper menu and then slide down to the desired
item than doing the reverse and be forced to move the mouse up (at that
point, besides, you'll probably have to lift it from the mousepad to
leave room for the upward movement: again can't tell if this is a
generally acknowledged law, but this is what I noticed observing my and
other people's mouse usage).

Whatever the other OSes "compatibility" desired, menu layout should be
considered carefully because IMHO the present layout presents several
good points. I wonder if it would be possible to retain it while
improving its usability. Of course, as a first step we should know what
was considered problematic during its testing.

Ciao

-- 
Roberto Rosselli Del Turco      roberto.rossellidelturco at unito.it
Dipartimento di Scienze         rosselli at ling.unipi.it
del Linguaggio                  Then spoke the thunder  DA
Universita' di Torino           Datta: what have we given?  (TSE)
 
  Hige sceal the heardra,     heorte the cenre,
  mod sceal the mare,       the ure maegen litlath.  (Maldon 312-3)