431024 - Default size of the search bar an aesthetically pleasing ratio?

Status: VERIFIED INVALID

(Firefox :: Theme, defect)

Description

[Alex Faaborg [:faaborg] (Firefox UX)]

Attachment: Current default size of search bar

Currently the default size of the search field feels too small.  What if we tried following the golden ratio (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_ratio), with the location bar have a default size of ~1.61 times larger than the search field.

Comment 1

[Dão Gottwald [:dao]]

There's usually much more and more important content in the location bar, especially when there's text in the identity button. It absolutely needs that space.

Comment 2

[Alex Faaborg [:faaborg] (Firefox UX)]

>It absolutely needs that space.

I'm not sure if the window width is based on the screen resolution, but in the above screen shot we would be talking about a change of making the location bar 104 pixels shorter.

Comment 3

[Alex Faaborg [:faaborg] (Firefox UX)]

Attachment: Search bar using the golden ratio

Well, here is what it would look like.  Actually seems too large now that I look at it.  Also doesn't seem all that golden.  We would probably also get slammed for trying to increase our revenue or something.

Comment 4

[(no longer active)]

(In reply to comment #3)
> Also doesn't seem all that golden.

Come to think of it, I guess the golden ratio is maybe overrated...  :-)

Comment 5

[Alex Faaborg [:faaborg] (Firefox UX)]

>Come to think of it, I guess the golden ratio is maybe overrated...  :-)

Seriously.  Perhaps use some rule of thirds (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_thirds)?  Otherwise I am fresh out of supposedly aesthetically pleasing ratios. 

Comment 6

[Alex Faaborg [:faaborg] (Firefox UX)]

Attachment: Search bar using the rule of thirds

This looks pretty good, and makes the search bar slightly larger by default.

Comment 7

[(no longer active)]

How many pixels wider is the new search bar than the current one?

Comment 8

[Alex Faaborg [:faaborg] (Firefox UX)]

I don't know if the window width is based on the screen resolution or not.  In this case the search bar became 64 pixels wider.

Comment 9

[Dão Gottwald [:dao]]

(In reply to comment #8)
> I don't know if the window width is based on the screen resolution or not.

Yes, it is.

Also take into account that the search bar will be mostly white while there will often be more content in the location bar than your screenshot shows. That will probably make it look less balanced.

FWIW, we could even make the search bar smaller than it currently is. I think it was smaller in Firefox 1.5, maybe Firefox 2 too.

Comment 10

[Ryan A. C.]

FWIW:
apple finder search seems to be around 190px (same as firefox)
Vista searchbar is 236px (seems hard coded)
safari seems to use a very small ~120px