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I was wondering what's the point of opening modal bottom sheet when overflow menu is clicked? Look at this : Modal bottom sheet behavior

Because user have to reach the top of the screen to click the oveflow menu, then go back to the bottom to click desired action which is on the bottom sheet.

Am I missing something here?

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  • Who is to say that the User didn't use arrow controls to quickly access the overflow action icon, then once the Bottom Sheet is displayed the "next" item that can be navigated to using arrow controls to is the first item in the Bottom Sheet. Because that would be very efficient for usability on say Android TV while also playing well with Accessibility requirements. If using touch, well yes there is a juxtaposition, but that can be negligible when weighted with the benefits to Accessibility, alternate controllers, and eventual proximity to touch.
    – straya
    Jan 3, 2020 at 6:15
  • @straya thanks for the comment. this question is in the context of android on mobile. So going with the overflow menu is the better option according to Fitt's law.
    – user158
    Jan 3, 2020 at 11:54
  • Sure...if you weigh use of cursor/mouse as the highest priority means of navigating on mobile. I think you will find it to be the least common means, plus the nature of cursor when navigating between focussable items is not one synonymous with desktop usage (and thus not considered by Fitt). Fitt's Law doesn't really fit here.
    – straya
    Jan 20, 2020 at 2:02

2 Answers 2

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According to Fitt's Law - The time to acquire a target is a function of the distance to and size of the target. I agree that I think distance between the menu and the bottom sheet is substantial. This solution allows placing a lot options in one place.

No you don't missing something - it's a good practise.

The other solution in this circumstances is context menu - reduces the distance of the action postulated from the opening of the action menu enter image description here

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At times a lot of these can be classified as anti-patterns since the guidelines for how Bottom Sheets should appear are very vague. The purpose of a bottom sheet is to appear to be easy to reach for the thumb or index finger while providing an alternative to a popup or similar content accessible for taller displays and one handed use.

Essentially I believe it's an incorrect pattern since you're first travelling all the way on the top to tap on the overflow menu and then it also doesn't match the user expectation since people are used to the overflow menu opening in a different manner. The video you showcased doesn't allow the user to tap into the mental model of what they are familiar with.

Guidelines: https://material.io/design/components/sheets-bottom.html

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    good point mismatch with user expectation, since overflow menu suppose to show a context menu
    – user158
    Jul 26, 2019 at 8:48

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