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Subject:Re: Dropdown menu on a button From:Sella Rush <sellar -at- APPTECHSYS -dot- COM> Date:Mon, 21 Jun 1999 13:37:02 -0700
By duplicating the effect in both menu and tool button, the developer is
negating the whole point of tool buttons, which is to provide shortcuts for
common tasks. As described, using the tool buttons will require as many
clicks as using the menus.
This appears to be a classic usability issue. All the examples referred to
so far have demonstrable advantages for the user, and were done with the
user in mind. Also, all the examples involved using button drop menus to
choose a single value from a list of values--in effect, performing a single
action--or to call up a commonly used dialog box or tool bar (eliminating at
least one click compared to the menu bar).
The argument about mousers versus keyboarders doesn't really hold up,
because menu bars are usable for both groups.
Tool buttons are shortcuts, and lately I've seen them used exclusively
(without menu bar counterparts)--which really ticks off the keyboarders.
Sella Rush mailto:sellar -at- apptechsys -dot- com
Applied Technical Systems (ATS)
Bremerton, Washington
Developers of the CCM Database
