275283 - Should the hand-pointer be displayed over menu items?

Status: VERIFIED WONTFIX

(Firefox :: Disability Access, defect)

Description

[jonathan chetwynd]

when one is moving the pointer over menu items such as 'home' or 'back' it
displays as 'arrow' however in keeping with general browser GUI should this be a
'hand' pointer to indicate that the graphic/label is active?

Comment 1

[Stipe Kotarac]

I don't think it should display the hand pointer.
None of the major browsers (IE, Opera) does this and I don't see why would
Firefox need it.

Comment 2

[jonathan chetwynd]

Browsers usually display the hand icon over actionable graphics, and as the menu
buttons are actionable graphics, it seems inconsistent to display the arrow pointer.

Users have to learn that the application buttons are actionable, although they
dont display a hand pointer.

What is the sense of only displaying a hand pointer for graphics within a
browser window?

This issue is not confined to firefox.

This also relates to the OS, - to be consistent - actionable graphics (buttons)
on the desktop should present the same behaviour in respect of pointer as those
in a browser window. 

Comment 3

[Mike Connor [:mconnor]]

Menus are obviously actionable items, as are toolbar buttons.  If the platform
conventions used this, so would we, but they don't.  Doing something
inconsistent with the platform conventions decreases usability in nearly every case.

Also, if this is a "Disability Access" bug, keep in mind that nearly all
"disabled" users rely on keyboard access, so mouse pointers aren't really relevant.

Links in web page content use the hand pointer in order to distinguish
themselves as links, since graphics/underlined text is not universally an
actionable item.  Toolbar/menu items are, that's their entire point.

Comment 4

[jonathan chetwynd]

Mike Connor,

it happens that my users have severe learning difficulties, and are pre-literate

Ir's also at least likely, and possibly certain that for a significant
proportion their first introduction to computers will be a website, and they
will come to learn the use of the menu after using quite a number of web activities.

so it would be helpful if a hand pointer was at least an option for menu items.

we dont have 10M users, but 20k hits a day is significant for this niche group.

They need a browser that can at least be configured to suit their needs.

consistency is one aspect of this, as they have particular problems with
generalisations.

I should add that very few web graphics these days aren't links of one sort or
another.

Comment 5

[Mike Connor [:mconnor]]

If you really want, you can build a theme that uses custom values for cursor: in
the styling.  We don't see a value in breaking with OS interface guidelines, as
an inconsistency along these lines is going to be a net decrease in usability.

You'll hopefully note, also, that most form elements in web pages don't use the
link cursor, even submit buttons.  Apple's HIG, in particular defines the hand
as being used for "URL links" and nothing else.  This convention is also
followed on Windows and GNOME, so there is no reason for us to implement this.