Topic awaiting preservation: Mouse Pad Designs

So I've been set the task of designing a mouse pad, and was just wondering... what type of mouse pads do you all prefer? Any opinions as to what makes a good mouse pad design?

As for me, the physical attributes of the pad are the most important, the graphical element I could care less about. But alas, this mouse pad to which I've been assigned is based on a certain department within our corporation and the graphics are the most important to the customer.

So I guess more specifically I'm looking for opinions on good graphical elements for mouse pads... anyone?

~Sir_KiTree~Scan~
..::ill communications network::..

I don't use a mouse pad...optical mice do fine just on a flat, clean surface.

Back in the day, though, with ball mice, I preferred mouse pads of one solid color.

Anyways - you can put any image you want on it, so perhaps the question should be something more like "Anybody have any suggestions for a neat design for {insert details}?".

One that preferibly doesn't have a fabric top, because then it absorbs the dirt from your hand over time.
Not shiny, then it screws up your optical mouse.
still have some grip on the surface its on so it doesn't move with your hand.
Slightly cushiony for your wrist.

All I can think of now.

Well.....

that depends entirely on what the customer wants, what the purpose of the mousepad design is, exactly, how strongly branded the customer already is, etc etc etc...

aside from that.....it's just a mousepad. treat it like any other piece of design, with respect for the size/aspect ration....and I can't imagine you can really go wrong.

FWIW

I had a mouse pad that had active areas along the right and bottom that would scroll the window I was in when I dragged my finger through those areas. That was really convenient. It also had mappings along the top edge, but I didn't use them very much so I don't remember what they were.

I find that working in graphics with a mouse pad is very frustrating because of the need to press the Shift, Ctrl, and/or Alt keys with one hand while moving the mouse with a finger on the other hand which leaves me no fingers for pressing the left or right mouse button. I don't know how you would do it, but if you could set the pad up so that you control the left and right mouse buttons with the heel of the hand that is moving the cursor that might make things a little easier. Or maybe you could make the pad so that you can controll the cursor with the middle finger and the left and right mouse buttons with the thumb and little finger. (Sounds like a recipe for cramped hands)

I find that I'm always selecting or dragging things I don't want to when I'm tryng to move the cursor across the screen. It's probably because I have a heavy touch on the pad and it thinks I'm selecting something when all I want to do is move the cursor. It's possible that a larger difference in pressure between selecting and dragging would help this, but I've never seen a pad that would allow you to create a big enough difference in the pressure sensing.



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-- not necessarily stoned... just beautiful.

~Psst Hyperbole are you sure Sirkitree is meaning the same as what you are talking about...~

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-- not necessarily stoned... just beautiful.