Vertical lists provide a natural rhythm to reading: end of line, end of item.
Horizontal lists, such as the library sub menus (and other elements), requires you to process additional information to determine where one item ends and another begins.
When we write a shopping list, do we just write it out as one big long sentence? Or do we write 1 item per line?
Additionally in terms of space and visual processing: more is more; What’s that curious test with interpretation of written content? We can write text and drop letters, even put them in somewhat incorrect order, and our brain, because it is seeing the whole much quicker than we are consciously understanding the words, fills the missing letters and rearranges the misplaces ones.
Now the vertical library menu allowed our brain to absorb all that information faster than we can comprehend, and as we scroll down our brain already knows what the next items are. And in vertical mode we were seeing far more than 3 library items at a time. This gives it a feeling of fluidity, of speed.
In the horizontal layout we’re stuck with just three items and we’re forced to process more data to comprehend them. It’s a double whammy that will make it feel a slower (and so more frustrating) experience.
I recall a few years ago when Windows 8 was Microsofts “next big thing” they really tried hard to push side-scrolling data on us. Anyone else remember recoiling from web pages going sideways?
Microsoft have somewhat learned the lesson the hard way: stop fighting human nature just so you can be ‘new’.
We prefer imagery horizontal, we prefer data vertical. Just accept it and make your UI and UX to suit and everyone will win.
It’s almost as though throughout this development process they’ve actively avoided using human interaction to inform their UI.
