Comments on: Using Ajax Shelf to Help Users Find Pages on Suncoast Site http://idratherbewriting.com/2007/01/29/using-ajax-shelf-to-help-users-find-pages-on-suncoast-site/ The Latest Trends in Technical Communication Wed, 23 May 2012 23:32:25 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: order diazepam http://idratherbewriting.com/2007/01/29/using-ajax-shelf-to-help-users-find-pages-on-suncoast-site/comment-page-1/#comment-26172 order diazepam Wed, 23 May 2007 22:41:09 +0000 http://www.idratherbewriting.com/2007/01/29/using-ajax-shelf-to-help-users-find-pages-on-suncoast-site/#comment-26172 <strong>diazepam...</strong> giubami ugoum... diazepam…

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]]> By: Tom http://idratherbewriting.com/2007/01/29/using-ajax-shelf-to-help-users-find-pages-on-suncoast-site/comment-page-1/#comment-2844 Tom Wed, 14 Feb 2007 13:10:37 +0000 http://www.idratherbewriting.com/2007/01/29/using-ajax-shelf-to-help-users-find-pages-on-suncoast-site/#comment-2844 Thanks for the comments on the Ajax shelf, Rhonda. I agree with what you say. I will have to get in there and do some tweaking. I can change the word "Shelf" easily enough, as well as alter the stylesheet tags, but getting the shelf to stay open will require research. Thanks again for giving me your thoughts on it. Thanks for the comments on the Ajax shelf, Rhonda. I agree with what you say. I will have to get in there and do some tweaking. I can change the word “Shelf” easily enough, as well as alter the stylesheet tags, but getting the shelf to stay open will require research. Thanks again for giving me your thoughts on it.

]]> By: Rhonda http://idratherbewriting.com/2007/01/29/using-ajax-shelf-to-help-users-find-pages-on-suncoast-site/comment-page-1/#comment-2679 Rhonda Tue, 13 Feb 2007 20:53:18 +0000 http://www.idratherbewriting.com/2007/01/29/using-ajax-shelf-to-help-users-find-pages-on-suncoast-site/#comment-2679 I quite like it, but I think there are usability/accessibility issues with it: * If you are not using the mouse, it takes 11 TAB key presses to get to the link to open/close the shelf - there is no access/shortcut key to jump straight there. And if you are further down the page, then it takes even more SHIFT+TAB key presses to get back. * "Shelf" is not a familiar term in this context. While it may be what the developers called it, I think users won't intuitively know what it means. Working on Steve Krug's "Don't make me think!" principle, if it was called "menu" or "site menu" or similar, it would have more meaning and not make the user go "Huh? What's that?" * Once open it stays open - for that page only. As soon as you navigate to another page, it closes, and you have to open it again. If I wanted to see it all the time, I can't - I have to click it to open it on each page, and in a fairly short time that would p*** me off. With DHTML-type menus, at least the top navigation layer is always visible when you visit a new page. * I know you have probably styled it this way, but the double lines surrounding each menu/shelf item are overkill to my eyes, as is the white on black text. With the blue (and the bright yellow hover colour), the white on black becomes even more harsh. For consistency with the rest of the site and for reducing eye strain, the softer grey used in the very top navigation area may be better as the background colour. And maybe you could use small blue bullets (sqaure?) instead of the over- and underlines. I quite like it, but I think there are usability/accessibility issues with it:

* If you are not using the mouse, it takes 11 TAB key presses to get to the link to open/close the shelf – there is no access/shortcut key to jump straight there. And if you are further down the page, then it takes even more SHIFT+TAB key presses to get back.

* “Shelf” is not a familiar term in this context. While it may be what the developers called it, I think users won’t intuitively know what it means. Working on Steve Krug’s “Don’t make me think!” principle, if it was called “menu” or “site menu” or similar, it would have more meaning and not make the user go “Huh? What’s that?”

* Once open it stays open – for that page only. As soon as you navigate to another page, it closes, and you have to open it again. If I wanted to see it all the time, I can’t – I have to click it to open it on each page, and in a fairly short time that would p*** me off. With DHTML-type menus, at least the top navigation layer is always visible when you visit a new page.

* I know you have probably styled it this way, but the double lines surrounding each menu/shelf item are overkill to my eyes, as is the white on black text. With the blue (and the bright yellow hover colour), the white on black becomes even more harsh. For consistency with the rest of the site and for reducing eye strain, the softer grey used in the very top navigation area may be better as the background colour. And maybe you could use small blue bullets (sqaure?) instead of the over- and underlines.

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