On 2003-06-21 14:19:52 +0000 MJ Ray <markj@cloaked.freeserve.co.uk> wrote:
On 2003-06-21 12:16:52 +0100 Nicolas Roard <nicolas@roard.com> wrote:
According to you, if contextual menus are so hard to reach, they won't annoy users, as
they won't even notice them... "encouragement of user castes" ? well I really
don't see why you are against
a multi-level approach to the gui.
Developers will generally be using the "power user" interface methods because they think
them cool, so will not pay proper attention to the "normal user" interface methods and
not notice when it is totally broken. This is a related point about why multiple interface routes
for a task is bad, not just context menus.
That's a developer problem. Developers should follow the HIG.
In fact, that's already the case, for example
with keyboard accelerators.
Keyboard menu access is just an alternative way of accessing the same route.
As contextual menus.
Some context menu apologists seem to claim that there should be special expert
magic options that only appear on context menus.
"some" ?? not me.
People arguing that the optimal method for a novice user is not the same as the
optimal method for an expert user are wishing for a return to the days when
obscure function key combinations ruled the world. Yes, the experienced user
can remember even the most horrible user interface eventually. It doesn't make
it a good user interface.
no but I just claim that contextual menu is a good tool to provide an
alternative,
object-centric, way to do a function. The function is also accessible through
the
normal menu.