[linux-audio-dev] mouse wheel behavior and RFC: human interface guidelines

[Lee Revell]

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.

Lee