Gmail: usability/accessibility issue

11 Apr 2007

Gmail uses mouse-down event instead of click (mouse-button-release) at many places (Compose Mail, Inbox, Chats etc) in it's frontend. 

I face following problems because of their wrong choice of event (mouse-down instead of click):

• I can't select text while in list view. For example, if I want to select the sender's name or subject, instead it opens the mail thread.
  
   
  
  
• If mouse-button is pressed by mistake on any of links (Compose Mail, Inbox etc), associated action takes place and I am forced to click on browser's back button (or equivalent) to get back to previous state (screen/view). I don't get a chance to change my mind by releasing mouse-button outside of link area.
  
   
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Technorati tags: gmail, usability issues