If you’ve been on the internet today, you’ve probably heard something about Google, and a new browser they’re working on called Chrome. As someone who’s passionate about usability, something on page 18 of their comic caught my eye. They are talking about moving the “tab” section of the browser to the top, above the location bar. This strikes me as odd for two reasons.
Fitts’s Law
For those that aren’t familiar, Fitts’s Law states that the time taken to move to an object is a function of the object’s size and distance. Google appear to be suggesting that the reason for moving the tabs to the top of the browser is that they “… are the primary piece of the user interface …”. Personally, I can’t believe anything other than the view port being the primary part of the user interface, but either way, Google are sugesting that tabs are the most important which leaves the viewport as the second.
So if you consider Google to be correct, they are, at least according to Fitts’s Law, making their browser less usable. They are effectively increasing the amount of time taken to perform certain tasks. Now, it’s important to remember that we haven’t even seen any screen shots of Chrome yet, let alone used it, so it’s enirely possible that Google will do something clever to offset this (although, to offset this problem as far as Fitts’s law is concerned, they would have to icnrease the size of the tabs, which would cause its own problems). But moving tabs to the top of the browser causes other problems…
Memory and Expectations
One factor at play here is the expectation that the URL, or location, bar sits at the top of the browser with the tabs below. People are used to it, they expect it, and anything different will confuse them. Sorry, it’s just a fact. And not only are they moving the tabs, but they are also moving the other interface elements. In order to move the tabs to the top of the window, they will also have to move the location bar away from the top. This includes common, standard interface elements such as the back, forward, stop and refresh buttons. Moving these elements up and down a few pixels may not seem like a big deal at first, but you have to consider the ramifications fully – and to do that you have to think about muscle memory.
For the longest time, moving your mouse to the top left of your browser and clicking would take you back a page – no longer. Now, it’s going to bring the first tab into focus. This may seem like an easy thing for a user to overcome, but why would they?
There are enough competitive browsers out there, if they try one and they fail at a few tasks there’s no need to continue with it. They’ll just move in to FireFox, or Safari, or Opera, or …
In Summary
I don’t want to come across as if change and innovation are bad things. But I’ve always felt that there should be a driver behind interface change where you are changing an established standard. Here, I don’t see it. This smells more of a “Unique Selling Point” rather than a genuine attempt to improve the interface.
Popularity: 44% [?]