When a user on X recently showcased their new 5K Dell UltraSharp monitor, valued at over 00, the expected focus would typically be on the monitor’s picture quality. However, for Dave Plummer, a former Microsoft engineer, the conversation took an unexpected turn. A comment caught his attention, thanking him for maintaining a left-aligned Windows 11 taskbar, which the user referred to as a stand against what they termed “center aligned heresy.”
Plummer elaborated on his preference, stating, “if you drag the mouse down and left far enough, it is, by definition, now ON the Start button.” As someone who recently transitioned from a bottom center-aligned taskbar to a top-aligned vertical one, I can relate to his perspective. The discussion quickly evolved from mouse ergonomics to a more profound exploration of the Start menu’s historical placement in the bottom-left corner of the screen.
Danny Oran gave the Start button its name and its home
The inception of the Start button can be credited to Danny Oran, a behavioral psychologist who joined Microsoft in 1992 after studying under the renowned B.F. Skinner. Oran’s unique background included a project where he attempted to teach chimpanzees to communicate using a wooden keyboard device, an experience that proved invaluable in his role at Microsoft. The company sought someone who could effectively teach users unfamiliar with technology, and Oran’s training with primates on button-pressing sequences was surprisingly relevant.
During usability tests on Windows 3.1, Oran observed users struggling to locate basic features. One memorable session involved a propulsion engineer from Boeing, who, despite being a rocket scientist, could not navigate the operating system. Oran noted, “He was literally a rocket scientist, and even he couldn’t figure out Windows.”
Oran’s solution was elegantly simple: a single button that provided access to everything. Initially labeled “System” and positioned at the top of the screen, it failed to resonate with users. However, when renamed to “Start,” it became instantly recognizable, eliminating the need for further explanation.
How Start ended up in the bottom-left corner
While the introduction of the Start button addressed the issue of discoverability, determining its placement required additional consideration. This decision harkens back to 1954 and Fitts’s law, a foundational principle in human-computer interaction research. The law posits that the speed at which a user can hit a target on the screen is influenced by the target’s size and distance.
In retrospect, it seems intuitive that users could swiftly direct their mouse to the corner of the screen and click. The reading habit of moving left to right naturally led to the Start menu’s long-standing position on the left side until the advent of Windows 11.
Joe Belfiore, a former Microsoft VP, confirmed that the left corner was intentionally chosen for its alignment with reading order and to facilitate what he termed “slam mouse and click.” He also credited Oran for tackling the more complex challenge of condensing earlier multi-icon designs into a singular Start button.
However, in a classic Microsoft blunder, the initial implementation in Windows 95 included an unintended padding around the Start button, creating an inset of a couple of pixels between the clickable edge and the screen’s physical boundary. As a result, users who aimed their mouse at the bottom-left corner and clicked would find that nothing happened. This issue was rectified in Windows 98, which extended the active target zone to the outer 1-pixel boundary, ensuring that a click in the absolute corner would register immediately.
Oran also tackled the concept of the taskbar, envisioning a bar that displayed all running programs. Interestingly, his original design featured a top-aligned taskbar resembling modern Chrome tabs, but Microsoft opted to position it at the bottom, likely to differentiate from Apple’s macOS.
Apple, known for its litigious nature, employed a similar principle by placing its menu bar at the top edge of the original Macintosh, allowing for the same throw-and-click motion. Despite persistent rumors suggesting that Windows 95 was inspired by Steve Jobs’ NeXT dock, these claims have been debunked. Regardless, Oran holds the original patent for both the Start menu and the taskbar that debuted with Windows 95.
