Sunday, October 03, 2004
Overture Update: A Lesson in Web Design
Cross-posted in Personal Blog.
If it's below the fold, it will get missed, people.
Overture is back up, and along with being back up they have a new log-in page design.
Previously they had wasted space on the entire left-hand side of the log-in page...I'm sure taken up with logos and graphics...can't even really say.
So your log-in section ran down the right hand side. And on my screen...which isn't mammoth, but certainly isn't tiny...that was about all I saw without scrolling. And why would I scroll? I logged in, and there it was.
Today their new log-in page has dumped the left-hand side beautification, and the log-in info runs across horizontally. Meaning you can now see more of what's below the log-in form.
Meaning you can see a little box with an Alert in it...warning you that, you guessed it, the system was planned to be down from Friday through Sunday morning for enhancements.
Again, on the default report page I have set up, if I scroll to the right I see another alert box, and again, I never scrolled.
If you're like me, you have a routine for getting you daily info from these sites. You're in' you're out; you're on to the next part of your morning program tracking routine.
Mea culpa, indeed...I'm sure many people are going to think I should have noticed those alert boxes.
But I think the Overture folks could have placed them where they knew they could NOT be missed. Top, center....not down at the bottom and off at the side.
It's my opinion, but I also think it's good UI. (user interface)
If it's below the fold, it will get missed, people.
Overture is back up, and along with being back up they have a new log-in page design.
Previously they had wasted space on the entire left-hand side of the log-in page...I'm sure taken up with logos and graphics...can't even really say.
So your log-in section ran down the right hand side. And on my screen...which isn't mammoth, but certainly isn't tiny...that was about all I saw without scrolling. And why would I scroll? I logged in, and there it was.
Today their new log-in page has dumped the left-hand side beautification, and the log-in info runs across horizontally. Meaning you can now see more of what's below the log-in form.
Meaning you can see a little box with an Alert in it...warning you that, you guessed it, the system was planned to be down from Friday through Sunday morning for enhancements.
Again, on the default report page I have set up, if I scroll to the right I see another alert box, and again, I never scrolled.
If you're like me, you have a routine for getting you daily info from these sites. You're in' you're out; you're on to the next part of your morning program tracking routine.
Mea culpa, indeed...I'm sure many people are going to think I should have noticed those alert boxes.
But I think the Overture folks could have placed them where they knew they could NOT be missed. Top, center....not down at the bottom and off at the side.
It's my opinion, but I also think it's good UI. (user interface)
// posted by ElisaC @ 9:16 AM 
