I
have recently worked on project where clients, swept by the Web 2.0
craze, started to go wild with Ajax and specifically those handy little
layers / windows that provide users with useful information without
having to reload the page. I came across some pretty good
implementations and some, well diabolical. so here are some thoughts on
Ajax layer usability:
- Call to action.Layers should not appear every time a user happens to hover over an item on the page; it is really irritating, disrtacting, and counter intuitive. Layers should gracefully appear when users want them to. Gap is a good example of how to design calls to action.
- Equally,
layers should not magically disappear every time a user hovers away
form the layer. a familiar, 'Close window' cal to action will help here.
- Exercise
caution with the amount of information you include in a layer. I have
come across layers that use tabs to enable them to provide users with
loads of information. The intentions are good but does it really save
users' time, or are they forced to go through tons of information in a
tiny little layer when a new page might have been a better solution?
Of course you can break these 'rules', istockphoto does and it generally works, but this is because of the nature of the site...
- Recently
sites use layers for executing tasks than simply providing extra
information. Quite an interesting idea but fraught with problems if not
designed with the user in mind. Consider the following:
- How long is the task, how many steps are there?
- Will users have to scroll or access multiple pages within the layer?
- Will text be legible in such a small area?
- Will the task include financial transactions? if yes, consider issues of trust.
- What if users want to go back a step?
- What if they want to abandon the task?
- Is there a need for summary step?
- Finally, are you going to be better off just getting users to complete the task in separate pages and not Ajax layers?
I will be doing some more work on Ajax usability and coem back with more thoughts
