Expandable windows
30 Mar 2009 - 12:38pm
7 replies
1014 reads
Yann Allin
2008
Hi Everybody,
How would you call the widget used on the Sony home page :
http://www.sony.com/index.php ? Achorion, expansible Windows ?
And what about its usability ???
Thanks,
Yann
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This isn't really related, but I noticed that the menu items differ
from convention. Expandable items have a ' ' to the right whereas
'final' links have a right facing arrow. On Windows at least, it is
the right-facing arrow that indicates that there are more items to see
and final links have nothing or "..." to indicate that a dialog will
be produced. Were these the ones you meant as I can't see an
expandable window (just got into work so I'm still half-asleep and
probably missed it!)
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Posted from the new ixda.org
http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=40767
"How would you call the widget...?"
In essence, I would call this an accordion.
"And what about its usability ??? "
That's a pretty open-ended question. An accordion, like all UI, is
merely a tool. Perhaps it would be more fruitful to consider "Is
Sony's implementation of an accordion on their homepage most
appropriate and effective? Why or Why not?". I would answer this
myself but I gotta get back to work :-)
-isaacw
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Posted from the new ixda.org
http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=40767
I have no idea what it's called, but it does offer a responsive, fluid
transition between its expanded and collapsed states. I rather like it.
If you want a name for it, I can suggest:
- an in-situ fluid x-axis expander with a column-deforming y-axis expanding
reveal
- a front-focused baseline locked two-step carousel
- a two-axis accordion
More importantly, what would you call it? Let's hear your suggestion.
Then there is the matter of its usability. Well, it does a few things well
and hints at how to do them quite decently. The staggered fades aren't to my
taste, but I'm just one user.
So, why not ask "What does Sony need the front page to do?" and try to
figure out how well thingamajig does that job.
What do *you* think?
Ah just got it - I was using FF with NoScript and flash turned off. I
would call it an expandable frame. I thought about a zooming frame
but it doesn't really zoom, does it? I've just been doing something
like this in Javascript.
Thanks for the help everyone.
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Posted from the new ixda.org
http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=40767
I would call it "by hitting me with a flash-only site, Sony just lost
a visitor", but maybe that's just me.
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Posted from the new ixda.org
http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=40767
It behaves kind of like a "mega drop-down menu", like Nielsen
recently called them, only inverted (drop-up?).
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/mega-dropdown-menus.html
So maybe call them "large drop-down menu with rich animation and
media preview?"
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Posted from the new ixda.org
http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=40767
Man, I've been looking for that name, mega drop (like on askmen.com), all
last week and had to rig my own.
I think the one in question here is a hoverbox.
First siting here (code calls the class a gallery and the naming convention
isn't quite self documenting, that bugs me):
http://www.javafx.com/
Crude example here (code @ the .com):
http://host.sonspring.com/hoverbox/