2mo ago

Mouse pointers with drop shadows have their visual click zones and actual ones misaligned.

Assuming that the mouse pointer is parallel to the display and that a light themes is used, the visual click zone is positioned below and to the right of the upper left corner.

E: correct content

E₂ (correction): The visual click zone should be more than 1 px², but it's not misaligned.

14 comments

If I understand correctly then you are assuming that the mouse cursor is hovering and not just thick.
- Good take, I vote the mouse crusor on screen is just thick.
  Thus there is no "misalignment" at the pointer tip and the screen or shadow "below" the mouse crusor.
I don't really get what you're saying. Maybe a picture would help? Having worked with mouse pointers for three decades, I'm pretty sure it's either correct, or if you disagree then what you're choosing as the click pixel is arbitrary, and pointer style and implementation dependent. In any case, the user will generally learn the specific click behaviour very quickly, usually without even thinking about it.
- If there is a drop shadow, then when you click, the click should be on the shadows point, not the "floating" triangles/mouses point.
  The point here is the outmost point on the triangle of the mouse ofc. The position that "clicks".
  
  In the cursor metatada you can specify where the click occurs. Personally I always assumed the click would happen at the tip of the arrow, not the shadow below.
  
  I think I understand the pixel you are referring too, it may be diagonally adjacent to the click pixel.
  I’m not sure I understand ‘why’ post OP suggests that should be the ‘correct’ click pixel?
That’s only assuming the observer is at the location of the source of the light.
Not if you imagine that the cursor is hovering above the screen, and each click is like a virtual instantaneous drop to the screen to make the click.
- I want to see someone animate that
  
  Sorry not an animation.
Best way I could come up representing what i believe OP may have been talking about.
Think of the top small floating line as the "real" mouse pointer, and the black line at the bottom as the screen where the "content" is. The shadow of the floating pointer (grey line) is what OP implies should actually interact with the screen. Not the tip of the "floating" pointer.

14 comments