Re: [Usability] Situations with Lack of Button Labels

[Calum Benson <Calum Benson Sun COM>]

On 17 Jun 2008, at 08:16, Jacob Beauregard wrote:

> I can understand why the GIMP wouldn't have button labels, it takes  
> up more screen real estate than the GIMP would really be able to  
> handle, but I can't understand the justification for Ekiga not  
> having button labels. Can anyone clue me in? Does using tooltips  
> exclusively when screen space isn't exactly limited justifiable?  
> I've filed a bug for Ekiga, because I really don't believe it's  
> justifiable, but I'm getting the whole why not stick with tooltips  
> in response.

FWIW, I agree about Ekikga... I don't see any compelling reason why  
its buttons couldn't just be a regular toolbar across the top of the  
window, which followed the global desktop setting for toolbar button  
labelling by default.  That setting could even be overridable in the  
application as the HIG permits, and in 'text beside icons' mode, that  
could mean no text at all if the author so desired.

For your GIMP suggestion, what is the problem you are trying to  
solve?  Is it just that you have to wait a fraction of a second for  
the first tooltip to appear, or something else?

Cheeri,
Calum.

--
CALUM BENSON, Usability Engineer       Sun Microsystems Ireland
mailto:calum benson sun com            GNOME Desktop Team
http://blogs.sun.com/calum             +353 1 819 9771

Any opinions are personal and not necessarily those of Sun Microsystems