Breadcrumbs in Kickoff

[Matthew Dawson]

On Tuesday 20 December 2011 17:54:02 Martin Gräßlin wrote: 
> Up to now nobody gave a proper reason *why* we should add a back button.
> Just because we can is no reason, sorry.
> 

First, I understand that the back button is gone and I'm not advocating its 
return.

I do think I understand why there is a backlash about this option, and it 
stems from two points:

1) The back button was a much larger button to hit.  
	According to Fitt's Law[1], the smaller a target is to hit, the longer it 
takes.  The breadcrumbs, being smaller, decreases the speed at which someone 
can hit the target.  It is readily apparent to me, as I only recently got 
introduced to it.

2) The position of the breadcrumbs is on the upper right hand corner.
	People will first look for information to the upper left hand part of the 
screen.  With the breadcrumbs positioned where they are, its first of all hard 
to find compared to the back button.  I can't remember if people brought up 
with RTL languages see upper right hand first, but at least for LTR it is.


Based upon these two points, a couple of simple solutions present themselves:

1) Make the text a little bigger.
	Since users will approach the breadcrumbs from the bottom, increasing the 
height will help them hit the button easier.  This will probably require some 
fiddling with to ensure the best possible result.

2) At least for LTR, move the breadcrumbs over to the left hand side.
	This will help users more easily find the breadcrumbs and choose an 
option.  This also helps with selection, as any overshoot to return to the 
beginning, when approached from the right, will hit the edge of the screen and 
avoid too much backtracking, making it easier for users to hit.  Note this 
only applies in Kickoff's default location, but I don't think most people will 
have an issue.

Thoughts?  If these ideas sound useful, I'll try to cook up a patch to 
implment them.


Matthew


[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fitts%27s_law