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Hidden interface controls that affect usability

(interactions.acm.org)
559 points cxr | 1 comments | 05 Jul 25 23:10 UTC | HN request time: 0.219s | source
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StellarScience ◴[06 Jul 25 01:08 UTC] No.44476903[source]▶
We have a user interface design rule that keyboard shortcuts and context menus must only be "shortcuts" for commands that are discoverable via clear buttons or menus. That probably makes our apps old-fashioned.

I recall learning that the four corners of the screen are the most valuable screen real estate, because it's easy to move the mouse to those locations quickly without fine control. So it's user-hostile that for Windows 11 Microsoft moved the default "Start" menu location to the center. And I don't think they can ascribe it to being mobile-first. Maybe it's "touch-first", where mouse motion doesn't apply.

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1. Animats ◴[06 Jul 25 05:25 UTC] No.44478071[source]▶
Corners and edges are rarely used that way. They should be. See "Fitts Law".[1]

My metaverse client normally presents a clean 3D view of the world. If you bring the cursor to the top or bottom of the screen, the menu bar and controls appear. They stay visible as long as the cursor is over some control, then, after a few seconds, they disappear.

This seems to be natural to users. I deliberately don't explain it, but everybody finds the controls, because they'll move the mouse and hit an edge.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fitts%27s_law