Dynamic Page Elements-Cloak and Dagger Web Design - Conclusion and Notes
(Page 10 of 10 )
Conclusion
Wrapping up, it can be said that it is very easy to use hidden elements in a way that makes them more of a burden than a blessing. This applies especially to elements that are hidden and shown when the user hovers over other elements, which is a shame, because it makes the page appear a lot more interactive. Clicking elements does trigger an already known functionality - navigating to other pages or sending off form data. When we change this behaviour to make our solution more reliable, we change patterns the users already follow without needing to think about what they do.
As we don't know the users' setup and their abilities we cannot create a bullet-proof solution. Browser bugs add their share to render theoretically perfect solutions unusable. For the time being, we have to live with the certainty that we will repell possible users when we create dynamic page elements. It is up to us to judge if the benefits of them are worth that. Best case scenario would be to allow the user to turn off the solution via a page control.
Links
[1] Unobtrusive Javascript self training course: http://www.onlinetools.org/articles/unobtrusivejavascript/
[2] Browser detection via Javascript: http://www.quirksmode.org/js/detect.html
[3] Legal accessibility requirements: http://www.section508.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Content&ID=12
[4] Debunking the "3 clicks" myth: http://www.uie.com/articles/three_click_rule/
[5] "Type ahead" functionality in Mozilla http://www.mozilla.org/projects/ui/accessibility/typeaheadfind.html
[6] Pseudo class CSS specifications: http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-CSS2/selector.html#dynamic-pseudo-classes
[7] Hover and Active problems http://www.quirksmode.org/css/hover.html
[8] Accesskey HTML specifications: http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/interact/forms.html#adef-accesskey
[9] Accesskey tutorial: http://www.alistapart.com/articles/accesskeys/
[10] Web accessibility guidelines on accesskey: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-HTML-TECHS/#link-accesskey
[11] Accessible scripts guidelines: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-HTML-TECHS/#directly-accessible-scripts
[12] Problems with access keys: http://www.wats.ca/articles/accesskeys/19
[13] Form elements covering menus in IE hack: http://homepage.mac.com/igstudio/design/ulsmenus/vertical-uls-iframe.html
[14] DHTML menus and Flash: http://www.communitymx.com/content/article.cfm?cid=E5141
[15] Usability study on dropdown navigations: http://www.uie.com/articles/users_decide_first/
[16] Eric Meyer, CSS expert: http://www.meyerweb.com
[17] Pure CSS popups: http://www.meyerweb.com/eric/css/edge/popups/demo.html
[18] Problems with pure CSS popups http://www.quirksmode.org/css/ie6_purecsspopups.html
[19] Nice titles: http://www.kryogenix.org/code/browser/nicetitle/
| DISCLAIMER: The content provided in this article is not warranted or guaranteed by Developer Shed, Inc. The content provided is intended for entertainment and/or educational purposes in order to introduce to the reader key ideas, concepts, and/or product reviews. As such it is incumbent upon the reader to employ real-world tactics for security and implementation of best practices. We are not liable for any negative consequences that may result from implementing any information covered in our articles or tutorials. If this is a hardware review, it is not recommended to open and/or modify your hardware. |
