Pie Menu = Profound Problem?
Over the past two days, the New York Times has been featuring an article on Glide Effortless, a web application to allow managing and sharing of different types of content online. I haven’t played around with it, but I’m planning to when I have free time (ha) and will post my thoughts then.
But in reading the NYT article, I found an interesting reference to pie menus (context menus - or menus that appear when you right / ctrl click for the non-HCI heads in the audience - that are circular instead of lists).
The article states:
Here’s where you first get an inkling that for all of Glide’s genius, it’s also tainted by some profound problems.
For example, you quickly realize that a circle is not a very good shape for a menu. Because each command’s name must be squeezed into a triangular wedge, the number of commands and the lengths of their names are severely restricted. As it is, some of Glide’s command names (like “Download”) barely fit on their slices.
We’ve actually been talking about pie menus quite a bit in my programming class this semester. The point that the NYT article makes is valid (I’m not one of many people implementing a pie menu for my final project, so I can’t comment too extensively on that critique). Still, there is a benefit to using pie menus. Without getting into the technical aspects of Fitts’ Law, I’ll just say this: With pie menus, each option is equally close to your cursor, which means that you can access everything quickly. With increasingly-long lists, it’s not so. Don’t believe me? Just right-click. Go on. Right here. You’ll see what I mean.
But as I hinted above, I did not choose to take on the pie menu challenge in my programming class. Maybe I should have, because it sounds like lots of fun. I’ll update with what I find out from the pie menu presentations in a couple weeks.
My problem with pie menus is that it forces me to read around a circle. I like to read top to bottom. Furthermore, while I read a menu, my mouse follows along, so it’s right there when I find what I’m looking for. Also, I really think I move the mouse “down” fastest because I’m pulling it towards me.
Maybe if I was taking a speed test, I could get better at the pie menu, but for everyday use, I just like the regular lists.
If this was really such an issue, we’d all be typing on Dvorak (http://dvzine.org/zine/cover.html) keyboards.
I’m sure this whole Fitt’s law idea is backed up by extensive research with respect to pie menus and whatnot, but that’s nothing for my anecdotal evidence and pompous dismissiveness.
Comment by Eric — December 2, 2005 @ 8:04 pm
I have been testing Glide to share slideshows and videos and the “Pie Menus” have been easy and fun to use so far.
Comment by Kathy — December 10, 2005 @ 1:42 pm
That’s great. That’s what the research shows too, like I said. I think that some people just prefer what they know.
Comment by zaiss — December 10, 2005 @ 9:06 pm
Menu entries could be icons with text labels as tooltips. Pie menus take some getting used to, but are much faster to select from than linear menus.
Comment by Joseph Huang — January 5, 2006 @ 1:06 pm
i think the pie charts are refreshingly interesting. the same ole’ list menu is really BORING! : )
Comment by T — January 23, 2006 @ 3:29 pm