The taskbar is normally on the bottom of your screen. You can optionally move it to the top, left, or right. I decided to try a different location for one reason: I need more vertical space.
Since I need vertical space, I did not consider placing the taskbar on the top. So the question is: left side or right side?
I decided to go with right side. Why?
- Muscle memory: The clock placement is in bottom right, same as bottom taskbar
- Muscle memory: The Action Center button is in bottom right, same as bottom taskbar
- Muscle memory: The Notification Area is in the bottom right, same as bottom taskbar
- Muscle memory: The peek desktop in in the bottom right corner, same as bottom taskbar
- Minimize mouse travel: When you click on Action Center it opens on the right side. With the left taskbar, you click on the left side of your screen to open Action center and interact with it on the right side. With the right taskbar, you click on the right side to open and interact with it. For dealing with Action Center, Fitt’s Law says it should be on the right.
- Left to Right: We read left to right. With the taskbar on the right side, it stays out of the way of our natural vision pattern. I also put my primary app on the left side, which allows me to focus better with less distractions from the taskbar.