Yes, we tried that but it is really hard to test actually - you might like it at a short term but in a long run hate it.

We decided to put them on the right to keep the visual balance of a browser and do not distract those users who read from left to right. List of bubbles is visually heavy and if websites are also "heavy" on the left the balance of the browser would fail. It is not, lets say, hard argument but visual side of a product is also worth considering in such decisions.

Thanks Darrell, you are absolutely right - small bubbles would be a first choice for most users. In my opinion, after a months of working on that project, users would go for them because they are just used to old, small, normal fav ics - as they see them daily. That is when you design something that is already there and no innovation happen. There is also a reason for keeping pictures in the big bubbles - picture means more information for user, more information means more control and more control means less mess in a session. It is just easier to change and close tabs because you can boost your memory by visual information - you just remember whats there only by looking at the bubble, with no need to click it - after some time with Neon you will se how hard it is to switch back to "normal" browser - you will just miss those pictures, I can promise you that :)

Hi Daniel, thanks for feedback. I'v just spend almost a year designing Opera Neon - I was an UX Designer behind almost all interface decisions.

I fully understand your doubts about the "+" icon on the left. Actually that was one of my biggest concerns - based on intuition it should be on the right, near the "tabs", right? But after UT with almost 50 users it tuned out, that right top corner is a blind spot and if most of users can not add new tab in a browser, thats a real problem. Almost no one could find "+" there, I know how it sounds, but we really tested it properly wits UX Researchers on board. We even tried the "fat +" as big as "bubble". In a process I decided to test plus on the left side in a toolbar and give it a try... and it was it. Most tested users found it intuitively in first seconds.

After all I had those two options: 1. go with the + on the right and take risk of not finding it by users on first look. 2. go withe the + on the left and be sure that most of users will find it in "first experience" even if it is not the most "distance" effective place.

I decided not to risk and (whats really important) add two more ways to go back to the home screen: 2. a) click on active tab shows home. 2. b) add "_" icon on the right top corner of window.

After collecting data from clicks we will probably get rid of "_" icon, but I need to be sure about the usage of it.

Hope that helps, thanks again for your feedback :)