[wp-hackers] 2.5 admin menu thoughts

[Doug Stewart]

On Feb 19, 2008 7:59 AM, Ozh <ozh at planetozh.com> wrote:
> Hello there
>
> Just a couple of thoughts/questions, nothing productive really.
>
> I'm in the process of getting myself used to the new backend look before I
> start updating my plugins, and there's something I don't get in the new UI
> : how various admin links are spread all over the header.
> 1) link to dashboard in the upper left corner
> 2) link to your profile in the upper right corner
> 3) links to plugins / users / settings on the right hand
> 4) rest of the regular menu on the bottom left.
>
> Maybe I just need some arguments to convince me, but I fail to understand
> how this is supposed to make things simpler. At the moment I just have to
> look around to find the link I need. Mainly, I don't get why the Dashboard
> link is alone over there, and why the "Design" link (presumably something
> you don't use every day) is not grouped with the settings / plugins links.
> If there's a point in segregating some admin links from others, I think a
> "frequent links" group (dashboard, write, manage, comments) and "settings
> links" group (options, theme, plugins) would be more efficient than the
> current 4 places.

I really must concur.  I don't care how many usability studies, etc.,
have been commissioned, there's some serious anti-Fitts' going on in
the new layout.

Having that many targetable mouse-based navigation areas is, simply
put, cluttered.  (See http://katidev.com/blog/?p=20 for some
interesting musings on "Computer Administrative Debris)  I know we're
trying to fit the layout to the most common use scenarios, but there
/has/ to be a better way to implement it.  JS-based hiding/dropdowns
(yes, I know, usability issues galore there too),
cross-platform-friendly keyboard shortcuts, etc.    The "mean mouse
distance necessary to accomplish a task" in 2.5 has gone way, WAY up
when compared to 2.3.  Yay! for simplification.  Booo! for making me
scroll my mouse the whole way to the bottom of the frickin' screen to
send a trackback to those poor souls still using MT or Haloscan.


-- 
-Doug

http://literalbarrage.org/blog/