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List:       kde-usability
Subject:    KDE's menu implementation.
From:       Simon Edwards <simon () simonzone ! com>
Date:       2002-05-28 16:31:54
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Hi,

Some issues concerning how KDE renders menus. (This is all w.r.t. the default 
widget style).


1) Disabled menu item go depressed when you mouse over them!

Greyed out menus item go depressed when you rollover them with the mouse. 
'Rollovers' like this indicate that an item is in fact active and ready to be 
used. This is a strong convention from the Web. KDE's menus should not give 
such mixed signals.

Recommendation: Inactive menu items should not have rollovers!


2) On/Off checkable menu items (ticks) look exactly the same as radio-button 
menu items.

Checkable menu items can be either like checkboxes, i.e. boolean, or like 
radio-buttons i.e one from the a group can be selected (like radiobuttons).
KDE's renders both type exactly the same. This is bad because the user now has 
to play with the menu items to work out which ones show mutual-exclusive 
behaviour, and which ones don't. Windows actually gets this right. Boolean 
items have ticks, while radio menu items use a bullet.

Recommendation: Radio menu items should be rendered with a bullet in front and 
not a tick.


3) The state of checkable menu items (boolean) that have icons in front of 
them is not very clear.

For example "Konqueur->Window->Show Terminal Emulator".  Menu items with icons 
show the 'checked' state by using a depressed border and white background. 
This border easily gets visually lost amongst the icon itself, and makes it 
hard to quickly see the state of the menu item. Menu items without icons use 
a tick on the same depressed border to show the 'checked' state. I would have 
thought that most people recognise the 'checked' state more by the tick, than 
by the border/background.

Recommendation: suggestions?

cheers,

-- 
Simon Edwards             | Guarddog Firewall
simon@simonzone.com       | http://www.simonzone.com/software/
Nijmegen, The Netherlands | "ZooTV? You made the right choice."

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