Subject: Re: [linux-audio-dev] mouse wheel behavior and RFC: human interface guidelines
From: John Check (j4strngs_AT_bitless.net)
Date: Sat Aug 21 2004 - 23:35:21 EEST
On Saturday 21 August 2004 04:22 pm, Lee Revell wrote:
> On Sat, 2004-08-21 at 14:38, Fons Adriaensen wrote:
> > On Sat, Aug 21, 2004 at 06:35:44PM +0200, Melanie wrote:
> > > it's backwards in a "numerical" sense, in that the numbers increase
> > > with one slider type, but decrease with another, using the same
> > > command.
> > >
> > > However, UI designers don't think in numbers, but associations.
> > >
> > > Left is generally associated with up, right with down, as we read left
> > > to right, top to bottom. Therefore, up MUST map to left, down MUST map
> > > to right, otherwise, non-mathematically minded people get uttely
> > > confused.
> >
> > OK, if things 'increase' from L to R and from top to bottom,
> > then a vertical gain slider should have the 'off' position at
> > the top. For a slider controlling a frequency, the lowest
> > one should be at the top.
> >
> > I suspect most people would find that counterintuitive,
> > regardless of reading directions.
>
> I suspect that a GUI programmer or interface designer would expect
> things to increase from top to bottom. In GUI programming, the origin
> is at the top left of the screen, and X,Y coorinates increase going
> right and down respectively. I am not sure why they didn't just follow
> the Cartesian conventions here, but I believe it has been this way
> forever.
>
> However the fact that there are people who feel strongly both ways means
> this NEEDS to be configurable in a control panel somewhere. Like
> 'invert mouse' in any FPS game - this is the intuitive way to play for
> me, like a flight simulator, pushing forward with the mouse will tilt
> you forward. However there are apparently anough people who feel both
> ways that every FPS has this option.
For flightsims there is no question because when you push a yoke forward
you pitch down even in a chopper.
>
> Lee
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