Cursor-handle-top should be flipped below selection start for touch usability

[garycmartin]

Cursor-handle-top should be flipped below a selections start for touch usability. The cursor-handle-top should be pointing to the bottom left corner of the selection start, see attached screen shot for example. An updated Cursor-handle-top.svg artwork is also attached to help testing.

[garnacho]

GTK+ patch

[garnacho]

Abiword patch

[garnacho]

As things were discussed with the GNOME design team about text handles on Guadec, the opposed-looking handles were so those never lay on top of selected text nor the other handle, so these patches deviate from what was intended upstream and are unlikely to be accepted there. There's though the non-covered case of handles close to the screen bounds, where operability prevails over visibility, that upstream might want a patch for.

[garycmartin]

Replying to garnacho:

As things were discussed with the GNOME design team about text handles on Guadec, the opposed-looking handles were so those never lay on top of selected text nor the other handle, so these patches deviate from what was intended upstream and are unlikely to be accepted there. There's though the non-covered case of handles close to the screen bounds, where operability prevails over visibility, that upstream might want a patch for.

I agree it is very unfortunate that I was not able to be at Guadec to argue this usability case for touch, it was in Sugar sketches/mockups/designs from very early on. I consider this a significant flaw in the GNOME design team notes that I did get to see, likely stemming from a lack of actual hands on use with touch screen and tablet like devices.

I it not possible to implement this as an optional configuration option? Noting that the handles do need to support vertical flipping anyway to deal with the offscreen cases when a selection handle is at the top/bottom edge of the screen and needs to flip to allow interaction with it?

[godiard]

The change has been included in the last gtk/abiword rpm, we need change the image in sugar-toolkit and release a new version.

[erikos]

Gary, can you say why your proposed design is more usable? What are the benefits to the currently implemented design?

[garycmartin]

Replying to erikos:

Gary, can you say why your proposed design is more usable? What are the benefits to the currently implemented design?

When trying to adjust cursor-handle-top (the start of the selection) you have to reach with your finger (usually right handed) right over and above the start of the text selection to reach the handle, diagonally obscuring with your finger the letters & words of the selection start. The users goal in moving the selection start handle is often in modifying the selection start by a few characters or a word, these will be hidden by your finger making adjustment difficult. While moving the selection start you can not see precicely where the selection is currently unless you release the handle and move your finger out of the way. With the original proposed Sugar design, the cursor-handle-top hangs below and to the right of the selection start, this means you do not obscure the selection start text when manipulating cursor-handle-top, as your finger is below the selection start.

[garycmartin]

Replying to garycmartin:

Replying to erikos:

Gary, can you say why your proposed design is more usable? What are the benefits to the currently implemented design?

When trying to adjust cursor-handle-top (the start of the selection) you have to reach with your finger (usually right handed) right over and above the start of the text selection to reach the handle, diagonally obscuring with your finger the letters & words of the selection start. The users goal in moving the selection start handle is often in modifying the selection start by a few characters or a word, these will be hidden by your finger making adjustment difficult. While moving the selection start you can not see precicely where the selection is currently unless you release the handle and move your finger out of the way. With the original proposed Sugar design, the cursor-handle-top hangs below and to the right of the selection start, this means you do not obscure the selection start text when manipulating cursor-handle-top, as your finger is below the selection start.

CORRECTION "cursor-handle-top hangs below and to the LEFT" see all the mockups if you're not sure ;)

[erikos]

old==left handle with upwards orientation

new==left handle with downwards orientation

​gtk3 with the old behaviour. You should test this with the ​old artwork (currently installed).

​gtk3 with the new behaviour. You should test this with the ​new artwork.

[garycmartin]

Tested new gtk3 and artwork rpms on an XO-4 (i.e. no testing with screen rotation yet), looking good and working well!

[dsd]

On 13.1.0 build 28 the text selection handles are below the selected text.

[dnarvaez]

Milestone 0.98 deleted