Problem/Motivation
Drupal has always had a full-width interface. This made its way into Seven from Garland, as this was a user preference and acceptable solution at the time resolutions where 1024/1280. However times have changed, higher resolutions are much more common.
On a high level we have three arguments for this change:
- Form elements, descriptions and boxes now span across the full width. This makes them harder to read (due to line length issues). However scanning is mostly impounded as many elements stretch their structural parts (e.g. the border around a fieldset) much beyond its functional purpose. Actually having it on full-width reduces the effectiveness of these structural elements (borders, backgrounds) as the visual containment requires more effort to see where they start and end.
- From a typographic perspective, line length is used as an ideal comfortable measure for scanning and reading text (e.g. the elements of web typography). Although we do not have "article" type content in our screens, we do have descriptions and often long descriptions. Reducing the size of this, will enable users to scan it more easily.
- From an aesthetic perspective (opinions will differ on this) we believe this creates more breathing room for our elements and therefore will make the composition of Seven more balanced and more in line with its original design intent. By setting an upper limit on the width we prevent the screen elements from becoming uncohesive.
This change will likely require a bit of getting used to but once settled in we think it will be an actual improvement.
Proposed resolution
Introduce a max-width that uses the Seven highest defined breakpoint.
Remaining tasks
- Fix the max-width of the modal to match the page layout
- Make sure padding is maintained at all widths, including when the vertical toolbar is enabled
User interface changes
This adds a max-width to the Seven theme. This changes the user interface by making it less wider on higher resolutions. All our interfaces are built to fit a 1024px screen width. This means that this change does not break any of the existing interfaces.
API changes
None
Beta phase evaluation
| Issue category | Task because it is a change that makes Drupal more beautiful and scannable. But does not prohibit use age. |
|---|---|
| Issue priority | Normal because none of this prohibits use age. Its not a major issue identified with the usability. But will have a significant impact (therefor, not minor) |
| Unfrozen changes | Unfrozen because it only changes the CSS of Seven |
| Prioritized changes | The main goal of this issue is usability |