Creative Apps Lost in the 'Bermuda Triangle'

After running this blog for a few months and installing and trying out nearly every graphics app available in Windows, I sometimes feel like I've been trapped in the Surface Pro's "Bermuda Triangle."

What's that, you ask? It's that dreaded upper left corner where UI designers seem to love to pack more targets per square pixel than anywhere else on the screen. 

This Triangle has existed as long as I remember running paint programs (Deluxe Paint 1.0 on the Amiga 1000). But even though my monitor was only 13-inches in diameter, the Amiga's low resolution 320 x 200 display made it easy to distinguish between the file menu and the first icon  in the toolbox.  

Over the years, as screen resolution increased, monitors grew too, so precisely pointing to a teeny tiny icon on the screen became second nature. 

But now the Surface Pro has me working on the smallest screen I've ever used and the machine's otherwise excellent 1920 x 1080 resolution renders some toolbox icons less than 1/10th of an inch tall. And that wouldn't be so terrible, if they were not also stacked immediately on top of one another. The problem is compounded in the Triangle, with these icons butting up against the menu bar and any other toolbars and items the programmers choose to display there. 

Depicting this problem accurately is difficult to do on a website that is likely being viewed on a larger screen monitor, but the following screen pics should at least highlight how much designers are trying to pack into a tiny amount of screen real estate. I also highlight a couple of apps that allow this area to breathe and (hopefully) point to the future as more companies adapt their programs for the "post-PC" era.

Please share your experiences and thoughts in the comments section below! 

Adobe Photoshop CC

One of the most difficult programs to operate on the Surface Pro,  The toolbox and toolbar icons and menu titles don't scale, even though the menu items do scale once opened. Do you want to access the file menu, zoom or move? It's always an adventure.

Blender 2.68

Although text based interfaces generally do well on small screens, Blender's designers went a little overboard in their latest revision. The type is so small (no more than 1/20th of an inch) that it's almost unreadable.

Blender 4r6

Where to begin?

Manga Studio 5 EX

Manga Studio's icons and menu titles all scale nicely, but the flyout icons for tool settings are really small...

Manga Studio 5 EX

 ...and when several pallets are closed, the flyouts are next to impossible to hit accurately the first time.

3D-Coat 4.0.03

3D-Coat's menus and icons scale, but the menu bar and two toolbars are stacked tightly with the toolbox.

Cinema 4D r14

Though its menus don't scale, C4D's icons are large and clear. The problem is the tiny set of menu titles above the viewscreen.

Modo 601 SP5

Although its icons and type are well spaced, Modo packs a lot into a small area and the vertical tabs are very difficult to read on the Surface Pro's small screen.

Sculptris Alpha 6

Although at first glance you'll have to guess each button's function, Sculptris' icons are easy to target and offer handy tooltips as you hover above them.  This is why Sculptris is one of the few desktop apps that seems tailor made for the Surface Pro.

Artrage 4.04

Every time I open Artrage and see the roomy menu bar and big,easy to target icons, I'm reminded that I need to spend more time with it.

Autodesk Mudbox 2010

The model of simplicity. If only the latest versions would run on the Surface Pro.

Mischief 1.07

No sign of a 'Bermuda Triangle' here. Can't ask for a cleaner upper left hand. Mischief's tools are all stacked along the right side of the screen and its touch targets are mostly nice and large. However, it does have a scrollbar to reveal additional icons. This can be difficult to target and move with the pen. And the 8 layers icons there are nearly as small as Photoshop's.

Sketchbook Pro 6.0.1

Although it's a desktop app, you could almost convince yourself that Sketchbook Pro was designed exclusively for tablets. The interface is spartan and customizable. Don't like where something loads by default? Just move it or lose it.

Autodesk Sketchbook Express

The only Windows Store app in this gallery. The ideal approach to design, with icons and menu items that are either off-screen or a finger flick away. Let's hope other developers get busy and that Autodesk finally releases a Metro version of Pro soon.