1705058 - When you have more tabs than your available width, it's difficult to understand at first glance if you're at the start / middle / end of the tabs

Status: RESOLVED DUPLICATE of bug 1701976

(Firefox :: Tabbed Browser, defect)

Description

[Julien Wajsberg [:julienw]]

This started to happen with the proton changes. My analysis is that we now snap the tab edges with the edge of the tab bar, on both sides. Previously we were seeing a bit of the next or previous tabs, which was a good affordance to know that there was more.

I'll add a few screenshots.

Comment 1

[Julien Wajsberg [:julienw]]

Attachment: proton theme: tab bar scrolled to the end

Comment 2

[Julien Wajsberg [:julienw]]

Attachment: proton theme: tab bar is scrolled to the start

Comment 3

[Julien Wajsberg [:julienw]]

Attachment: old theme: tab bar scrolled to the start

Comment 4

[Julien Wajsberg [:julienw]]

Attachment: old theme: tab bar in the middle

Comment 5

[Julien Wajsberg [:julienw]]

Attachment: old theme: tab bar scrolled to the end

Comment 6

[Julien Wajsberg [:julienw]]

Now that I look at the old theme again, I see there's some shadow as well, when there are more tabs to the left or the right.

Comment 7

[Romain Testard [:RT]]

Aaron and Amy, do you have thoughts there? I agree that applying a different shadow could help users better understand they have scroll options.

Comment 9

[Amy Lee [:amylee] UX]

Is it possible to always have a partial tab showing if there are more tabs? This ensures we're always indicating that there's more tabs. I noticed in the first screenshot (proton theme: tab bar scrolled to the end) that the far left tab is flushed to the left edge. Could this be partially cut to indicate more tabs are there?

I will let Aaron confirm if he had anything else in mind.