[IxDA Discuss] Right or Left SideBar for a browser based application

[Robert Barlow-Busch]

On 21-Jul-06, at 8:15 PM, Donna Maurer wrote:
> For a presentation I did recently, I took screen capture videos of
> myself using a bunch of sites. I later noticed that I pull my mouse  
> back
> to the right *all the time* when waiting for something to happen.

Fascinating. You prompted me to consider my own behavior . . . and lo  
and behold, I do the same thing.

Here's my theory: this behavior exploits muscle memory to more  
quickly navigate with the mouse. When "at rest", I keep the cursor at  
the right-hand edge of the screen, more or less centered; this is my  
hand's most fully-relaxed position. I can navigate by feel to most  
other locations, but it's uncomfortable to stay there without  
physically repositioning my hand and forearm, so I flip back quickly  
to the at-rest position.

Note that I drive with two monitors when at the office, so my at-rest  
position places me squarely in the middle of both screens. If I was  
limited to one monitor, perhaps I'd choose a left-hand-side at-rest  
position...

Gotta love these little discoveries. Kinda reminds me of McLuhan's  
remark that "I don't know who discovered water, but I'm pretty sure  
it wasn't a fish." Heh.

-- 
Robert Barlow-Busch
Practice Director, Interaction Design
Quarry Integrated Communications Inc.
rbarlowbusch at quarry.com
(519) 570-2020