Usability: Do mac users understand "right-click"?

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+1 Q:

Usability: Do mac users understand "right-click"?

I have a feature of my application which depends on alternate-click. Windows users don't understand "alternate-click" though, and I was wondering if most mac users understood "right-click", and if so if they were offended or annoyed when they see such text.

Does anyone have experience developing usable (consumer) applications for mac users? Does anyone have any opinions on this?

+3 A:

Why don't you ease it out and create two different texts displayed for the two different systems?

Lex 2010-03-16 14:17:07

I would, but I'd rather just change a translated string than make a new string, add logic, and have all 2*n translations created.

Stefan Kendall 2010-03-16 14:19:40

Having the right text to display for the correct system in my opinion is more "professional" or customer tailored, but I get your point, you can always settle with the first answer (by Justin), is it feasible?

Lex 2010-03-16 14:27:30

+3 A:

Mac OS X calls it secondary click, although the term "right click" is visible even in Apple's documentation.

KennyTM 2010-03-16 14:18:12

Your document is a good case for "functions as designed."

Stefan Kendall 2010-03-16 14:48:58

The secondary click terminology is specific to laptops and other machines with trackpads. It is also used with Apple's new Magic Mouse. Regular Mac users are unlikely to have come across the term and, as such, would strongly recommend against its use until it becomes more common and makes it into the "Apple Publications Style Guide". You may consider heading over to http://bugreport.apple.com and reporting this terminology confusion.

ericgorr 2010-03-16 16:22:45

Before we had the hardware to do a secondary click it used to be a ctrl+click (or a long click if one installed a little extension (called finder pop i believe, back in the OS 8 days). The only places where I've ever seen the term "right click" is where the document was meant for windows users. Right click is also just stupid, ask left handed people.

Kris 2010-03-16 17:04:09

I know a few lefties who still use their right-hand for mice. Most (good) mice are right-hand specific.

Stefan Kendall 2010-03-16 17:31:13

+2 A:

The definitive publication for the correct Mac OS X terminology is the "Apple Publications Style Guide". At this time, the latest was published in September 2008 can be found at:

http://developer.apple.com/documentation/UserExperience/Conceptual/APStyleGuide/APSG_2008.pdf or http://developer.apple.com/mac/library/navigation/#section=Topics&topic=User%20Experience

I could find no mention of "secondary click" or "right click".

In this case, what should be used is "control-click".

ericgorr 2010-03-16 15:01:06

*"Control-click"* among Windows users is most likely going to be interpreted as pressing down the `Ctrl` key and then left-clicking.

Esko 2010-03-16 16:50:44

@Esko: That is indeed what it refers to. That's the traditional way of bringing up a contextual menu, because Macs traditionally did not have right mouse buttons.

Chuck 2010-03-16 17:16:38

@Esko Yep. Which is why one needs different text depending on what users are going to be reading it.

ericgorr 2010-03-16 17:24:05

+2 A:

Wait, why are you making the user right click? This isn't The Mac Way

Edit: Assuming you're doing it correctly (not only providing the menu item on the contextual menu), I think there's precedence, in the Apple Human Inteface Guidelines for calling it "Contextual Menu"

RyanWilcox 2010-03-16 15:09:33

Not so at all. Control-click (which maps to the right-click or "secondary click") is a venerable feature of Mac with long history and wide usage. They are very much "The Mac Way" as long as the menu presented applies specifically to the selected object. The use of a second button to provide faster access to this feature is newer, but concept is well established since the MacOS days.

Rob Napier 2010-03-16 15:17:43

Ok. The Apple HIGs (http://developer.apple.com/Mac/library/documentation/UserExperience/Conceptual/AppleHIGuidelines/XHIGMenus/XHIGMenus.html) say:"Always ensure that contextual menu items are also available as menu commands. A contextual menu is hidden by default and a user might not know it exists, so it should never be the only way to access a command. In particular, you should not use a contextual menu as the only way to access an advanced or power-user feature."So you shouldn't MAKE your users right click, but if you're good that way, then yes control-clicking is established.

RyanWilcox 2010-03-16 16:37:11

@Rob Napier: Control-click has existed for a long time, but *making* the user control-click to get some functionality goes against a very long-standing Apple guideline.

Chuck 2010-03-16 17:18:54

@Chuck, see Ryan's comment. OP never suggests this would be the only access to the functionality. He simply is asking what to call the action.

Rob Napier 2010-03-16 19:20:05

@Rob Napier: Eh, "a feature … which depends on alternate-click" suggests that it requires right-clicking.

Chuck 2010-03-16 19:44:44

In fact, it doesn't depend on alternate-click. It's just another way to get to the same functionality. Whether or not there should be two ways to skin the same sheep, however, is another usability concern, I think.

Stefan Kendall 2010-03-16 21:40:23

+2 A:

Secondary click is not enabled by default, meaning Control + Click is required to bring up the Contextual Menu. Bizarrely the side buttons that activate Expose are enabled by default.

Even if the user is aware of right click, the design of the Apple mouse often leads them to think the mouse can't right click.

There will be a significant number of users (ie designers) that don't use a mouse at all because they just use a graphics tablet. I had a rather frustrating call with my dad the other day and it turns out he hadn't used a mouse in 8 years!

piddl0r 2010-03-16 16:56:13

ansaurus

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