Steering Law for Cursor and Mouse Movements in a GUI Tunnel

Summary: In a graphical user interface, having the user move a cursor within a narrow path (e.g., in a hierarchical menu or a slider) follows a strict law for how easy or difficult it is to do, depending on the specifics of the GUI.

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Accot-Zhai Steering Law: Implications for UI Design

Dropdowns, hierarchical menus, sliders, or scroll bars involve steering a pointer or a cursor through a tunnel; optimal design for these GUI elements should consider the Steering Law.

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Lexie Kane worked as a User Experience Specialist with Nielsen Norman Group. She combined her background in psychology with her design and usability experience to drive insights into user behavior that form the basis for increasing the business value of interactive systems.

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