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List:       kde-usability
Subject:    Re: Kicker tooltip placement
From:       "Michael W. Collette" <metrol () metrol ! net>
Date:       2002-05-21 10:40:48
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On Tuesday 21 May 2002 02:51 am, Vsevolod Buzinov wrote:
> Hello all!
> Would you mind me adding my two cents to this discussion?
>
> 21 May 2002 00:14, Eric Ellsworth wrote:
> > Hi yall,
> >
> > 	Just a quick idea on placement of tooltips, especially if Aaron's
> > actively working on a QLayout for Kicker.
> >
> > Two thoughts:
>
> [snip]
>
> > 	2) Tooltips appear almost immediately after you put the mouse over the
> > icon. I think a longer delay would also help the user look at the icon
> > for a little bit before the text comes up.
>
> Agree.
> And I must mention another behavior which I consider annoying:
> when the tooltip appeared, it would not disappear until a specified
> amount of time was passed and the mouse cursor was untouched.
> If you move the mouse cursor, the tooltip doesn't only continues to show,
> but also follows the cursor while you move over the other icons.
> Two points I suggest you think of:
>
> 1)  increase the minimal time to pass until the tooltip appears
> 2)  hide the tooltip and reset the time counter when you touch the mouse
>
> Any comments?

Gotta say, I disagree with both ideas.  Could be I'm just up too late.  That, 
or I don't think these really address the issue.

First off, the tooltips should appear immediately upon having the mouse over 
an icon.  A user, even an experienced one, shouldn't have to wait to have an 
icon identified.  Additionally, that very same tooltip should immediately 
vanish upon the mouse leaving an icon.  That much isn't happening very well 
now.

The real problem here is where the tooltip is showing up.  Right on top of the 
very thing a user is trying to see.  Instead of doing it like Windows, 
perhaps a page from either Mac or Enlightenment is in order here with them 
baloon style tooltips.  Okay, definitely not as big as either of those folks 
do it, but along a similar idea.  A cartoon like bubble with some very basic 
info about the icon pointing down to it.

Unlike Enlightenment, I would suggest a very, very simple bubble.  At most, a 
shadow effect to have it seem to be raised.

A lot of this depends on performance though.  If it takes KDE too long to 
paint the bubble the problem is worse than it is now.

Well, ya asked for comments, and there they be.  I think it must be time to 
get me a nap.

Later on,
-- 
"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark 
to read."
 - Groucho Marx
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