2 ms·

> Way back in the day, there used to be a field of study called Human Computer Interaction, where people would learn about things like Fitt's Law... Which, des

by bigstrat2003 3y ago

> Way back in the day, there used to be a field of study called Human Computer Interaction, where people would learn about things like Fitt's Law... Which, despite the name, is not a law and should not be called such. I've had so many people claim that I'm wrong for disliking the global menu in MacOS because "Fitt's Law" says it's better. And yet, it's still less usable for me despite the claim that this "law" makes or what Apple's defenders say. If people's subjective preference can be contrary to what Fitt observed, then it's not a law. A law is something that is true for everyone, it is not a matter of opinion. I have no doubt that this is a useful maxim, but it's not a law and I really wish it wasn't named so poorly.

regularfry 3y ago
The law is that the thing at the corner of the screen has the fastest seek time, because it has the largest available area. That's not subjective. You might not agree with what is occupying that spot but that says nothing about the physiology of selecting it. I certainly agree that the global menu, being almost never used day to day, is a stunningly pointless use of that space. It ought to have been handed over to foreground applications, exactly because of Fitt's Law.