Preserved Topic: Visual aesthetics (Page 1 of 1)

In general menus and suchlike are placed on the left side of the screen - why is this? Mostly people are right handed and it just seems awkward, it bugs me and feels odd even though it is normal - I assume that this is due to left-to-right reading patterns. Am I going mad, has anyone else felt a huge desire to change the world? I might set up a website purely devoted to right hand menus - or I may learn to cope. AHHGGGG!!!!

We had a whole thread devoted to this subject recently... anyone remember where that was?

Something from the Guru's Network called What's Behind the Great Designs ... page 4 (Eye Tracking) is what you're looking for, but the whole lot is absorbing reading.

BTW - I'm left-handed.



[This message has been edited by trib (edited 11-07-2002).]

I beleive this is the one you're thinking of Master Suho: http://www.ozoneasylum.com/Forum1/HTML/005733.html

Gah, yes, that's the one!

[Edit: I didn't catch this the first time around, but what does being left- or right-handed have to do with which side the menu is on? It's not like it's easier for a right-handed person to reach the right-hand side of the screen than it is for a left-handed person, is it?

Anyway, read the thread Skaarjj linked to--most of the major issues are discussed there.]

[This message has been edited by Suho1004 (edited 11-07-2002).]

Soho - (i assume) a right-hander has thier mouse on the right side and a left hander on the left, ATM you spend a lot of time with your mouse on the left side of the screen, where all the action is, and even though you only move the mouse a few CM to get there it feels to me like you are moving across your self and feels (to me) very slightly uncomfortable. A silly example would be to put your right hand in your left pocket.... make sense? then again i think I could just be losing it...

TAXI

FR

Yes, I do have that urge to put my menus on the right, all the time...

=)

{{edit: it has nothing to do with mouse movement whatsoever though...I simply think they work better that way in a lot of (though certainly not all) cases. Not to mention, the fact that my mouse is on the right side of my desk has absolutely *nothing* to do with where on the screen my cursor is }}





[This message has been edited by DL-44 (edited 11-07-2002).]

So the general feeling is I am a little odd in my train of thought -

oh well

speaking from a "Visual aesthetics" point of view, no.

But your reasoning seems flawed.

=)

no really I'll tell you why.

Your browser sizes from top to bottom, left to right. Therefore the left and top areas of a browser window are always fixed positions, the right and bottom are not. In the old days when many layouts were fixed width It only made sense to put the menu on the left and top since if they were on the right or bottom There was no guarantee that the menu would be visible (remeber the old 640x480 screen res days?).

With variable width layouts you can now put the navigation anywhere but even with these types of tricks the left and top area is still "safer" and easier.

So in other words it's never been an aesthetic reason but form following functionality.



.:[ Never resist a perfect moment ]:.

[This message has been edited by bitdamaged (edited 11-07-2002).]

what bit said. it's tradition.

company logo at top left so it was never off screen!! nav on left and/or left to right across top header.

break the tradition if you want

Jason

Don't just break with tradition ... create a new paradigm ...

Nice catch phrase, trib.

FatRod: I've got to admit that I still don't quite understand what the physical position of the mouse has to do with the position of the cursor on the screen (as DL pointed out). Due to the strange way my desk is set up, my mouse is on the lefthand side of my computer. I will often use my left hand to manipulate it when using the mouse and keyboard in conjunction. When solely using the mouse, however, I will use my right hand (I'm right-handed). I've never noticed any difference in the way the cursor moves. So, while I think that there are plenty of good reasons for a right-hand menu, the one you gave isn't one of them. Not that I'll hold that against you, of course. :-)