Re: [Usability] An idea (menus and launchers)

[Bill Wohler <wohler newt com>]

Carlos Moreno <moreno_pg mochima com> writes:

> Anyway, it's related to the Recent Documents, or rather, the Recently
> Used Files in the applications.  The idea is quite simple;  instead of (or
> in addition to) having just one Recent Documents in the "Places" menu,
> each particular menu item for an application could/should have a sub-
> menu with the recent documents.  Also, and I think this is the nicer
> part of my idea, *the launchers* should have a sub-menu as soon as
> there are documents recently used for the corresponding application.
>
> If the user clicks on the launcher itself, then the application opens as
> usual (e.g., with a blank document);  if the user clicks on the little
> arrow next to the launcher (the "drop-down" arrow), then the Recent
> Documents list opens underneath the icon.

One nice thing about the Recent Documents is that the user does not
have to know or care about the application that is used to view it.

A problem I see with the menu idea is that it would change the
paradigm of a menu with sub-menus. Currently, I don't think a menu
with a sub-menu can execute a command. It would also pose a usability
issue--how would you know if a menu item with a sub-menu was
launchable or not?

However, the launcher idea has merit and avoids these two issues. If
the user cares enough to put a launcher on the taskbar, they *do* care
about the application. Bringing up a menu with a separate down arrow
is a very common facility and would not pose a usability issue.

-- 
Bill Wohler <wohler newt com>  http://www.newt.com/wohler/  GnuPG ID:610BD9AD