Re: [Usability] Options, Check, Toggle, Exclusive

[Thorsten Wilms <t_w_ freenet de>]

On Wed, May 16, 2007 at 09:52:15AM -0500, Shaun McCance wrote:

> 2) There's no visual indication of the mutual exclusivity of radio
>    buttons.
> 3) There's no visual indication that labels for radio buttons and
>    check buttons are also clickable.
 
> I'm using Clearlooks, the default theme in upstream Gnome.  When
> I hover over the label of a radio button or check box, the entire
> clickable area prelights.  As you mouse your way towards the box,
> you'll see the prelight and, hopefully, realize you can click.

Prelighting offers visual indication on mouse-over, but prior to 
that there is no visual indication.
Also, the problem as I see it is rather the 'attractiveness' of the 
circle or rectangle, possibly leading the user to aim at that small 
area (even if he knows the label is clickable, too). Havn't checked 
user testing videos for this yet. Would be great to have graphics 
similar to eye-tracking tests to see the hot areas.
Finally the circles and rectangles are small but the only thing that 
informs about state. I bet larger areas changing colour/contrast are 
faster to perceive. Blender users might know this feeling of being 
able to check state of the button panels by just glancing over them.
My buttons however need something to differentiate groups of mutually
exclusive options.


> As for mutual exlusivity, is there real-world data suggesting that
> this is frequently a problem?  Even if users don't immediately grok
> the round-means-select-one thing, can't they generally get it from
> context?  And if they can't, will connecting the radio buttons with
> chains or sliders actually convey that?

More obvious is better than less obvious.
I admit there are problems regarding connecting radio button circles 
in non-vertical layouts and this is issue is no big deal.

 
> I don't want to be the luddite, but I worry that we're just adding
> visual noise to solve a problem that doesn't exist.

Nobody is adding anything yet. 


-- 
Thorsten Wilms

Thorwil's Design for Free Software:
http://thorwil.wordpress.com