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Submission details

This submission [Glow around window titles is inconsistent with other design elements] has been marked a duplicate of

Glow around inactive window title bar makes text unreadable

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Glow around window titles is inconsistent with other design elements

Submitted by mVPstar on June 8, 2008 to Aesthetics

It looks as if someone took an airbrush in photoshop and painted around the title. When you have flairs, reflections, transparency...an airbrushed effect seems kind of random.

Also, as you see in the screenshot, the glow isn't evenly distributed across the title. It looks as bad as the cut off glow in WMP (already submitted by another user). It also doesn't seem vertically centered.

Basically, it stands out from the other window objects which are elegantly placed.

EDIT: Changed text for clarity.

Even out the glow or find a better way of highlighting the title. Maybe just extend the glow all the way across the title bar?

Just make it look more professional.

Medium

Low

Not fixed

Discussion (16 comments)

mVPstar wrote on June 8, 2008, 3:02pm

Added new image attachment.

WhereisKevinn wrote on June 8, 2008, 3:14pm

What's wrong?

thenonhacker wrote on June 8, 2008, 3:21pm

I agree from the new screenshot that it looks bad,
and the text at the right side is very difficult to read.

WhereisKevinn wrote on June 8, 2008, 3:27pm

http://img183.imageshack.us/my.php?image=looksfinetomeut7.png

It appears that the image you uploaded is just of poor quality. The link above is a screenshot I took and I really don't see a problem.

rkand wrote on June 8, 2008, 3:52pm

I don't mind the glow so much as the text that's difficult to read. However, having said that, it's only as bad as the attached image when the window is a background window. Foreground windows are easy to see on a black background.

tino wrote on June 8, 2008, 5:00pm

I also think that this is really bad design. Text should always be readable very well. Compare the title text from XP and Vista! Don't know why they havn't used bold text in Vista, would be much much better.

mVPstar wrote on June 8, 2008, 10:38pm

"WhereisKevinn wrote on June 8, 2008, 10:14am

What's wrong?"

You don't notice the glow narrows to the right for no apparent reason?


Apparently, PNGs don't show here so here's the PNG version on imageshack:
http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/4504/airbrushxk8.png

mVPstar wrote on June 8, 2008, 10:39pm

Sorry, the above image was resized by imageshack.

Here's the full size: http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/5179/airbrushaw0.png

mVPstar wrote on June 8, 2008, 10:46pm

"Foreground windows are easy to see on a black background."

Except, there's still a lot of use for the title when the window ISN'T in the foreground. There's no reason for why it should be harder to see the "title" at any time.

Filing this in usability too...

mVPstar wrote on June 8, 2008, 10:47pm

Assigned to categories: "Usability"
Changed problem description.

mVPstar wrote on June 8, 2008, 11:00pm

Changed problem description.
Removed image attachment.

mVPstar wrote on June 8, 2008, 11:00pm

Added new image attachment.

mVPstar wrote on June 8, 2008, 11:01pm

Added new image attachment.

mVPstar wrote on June 9, 2008, 4:31pm

Removed from categories: "Annoyance", "Usability"
Changed problem description.
Changed solution description.
Added new image attachment.

mVPstar wrote on June 9, 2008, 4:39pm

Changed title from [Glow around window titles looks bad] to [Glow around window titles is inconsistent with other design elements].
Changed problem description.

longzheng wrote on June 10, 2008, 10:46am

Marked as duplicate.

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