25 Jun
2004
25 Jun
'04
3:03 p.m.
On Fri, Jun 25, 2004 at 05:22:55PM +0100, Dave Griffiths wrote:
I like your fan idea Thorsten, but I also think it could work invisibly - ie
no need for the transparent overlay. This would take a bit of learning that it
was there to begin with - but transparent graphics like that are expensive
(yeah, GPU's I know - but its something to keep in mind) and unnecessary after
learing how to use the control.
Requiring the user to read documentation to learn about functionality
he would not even expect is not an option.
The graphics are not only for giving a hint at this functionality,
but also for making clear what is happening. With only the initial
(small) slider the user would not have the same feel for the way
to value change mapping. The fan and indication line make clear
how the mechanism works and help the user to build an exact
mental model.
The partial transparency is meant for allowing to see other sliders
(or controls) in the background for comparison. But it's less important.
It would be good to collect a repository of existing
GUI elements in
commercial packages - dunno what the legal implications would be, but it would
be useful.
Are there so many special widgets out there? I would like to hear
about any example someone around here might know.
---
Thorsten Wilms