usability question
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- fugged
Could use some opinions on a usability issue...
I've got a web app that is sensitive (beyond my control) to gratuitous clicking (e.g. multiple nav clicks before page is loaded). In some cases, it can cause the app to blowup.
Page loads can be slow, not due to content size, but calculations performed server side. It is tempting as a user to click a button again when the response is slow for a given section.
Given the exisiting framework of the application, the only way I can figure out to avoid this is to hide all the navigation and display a processing type message to the user until the next page loads.
Would this nav hiding bother, confuse, annoy you as a user of an application?
Thanks in advance...
- jevad0
It would annoy me more not knowing what was going on. Don't make me think 'Did anything happen?' 'Do I need to click again?'
Tell me whats happening - tell me that I need to wait if I have to...anything...just don't leave me guessing
- fugged0
"Don't make me think"
spoken like a true Krugian. =)
- foreign0
yeah, i've seen this before, i think on the 37signals' apps, where a submit button of a form is hidden after clicked, so the user can't click again. will be easy to replace with a small "loading" image.
i thought is was really smart as i hadn't seen it before. i think it works really well.
- heavyt0
I am thinking of sites like travelocity where there is a noticable time while the server works.
They have a nice and simple page that displays(sometimes for 30 secs or so) that tells you what they are doing.
- fugged0
I wish it was only a single button. I have to hide content as well as the top level navigation.
I wish I had resources for user testing. =/
One problem is Internet Explorer's little animated icon in the upper right corner that indicates the page is loading stops when the mouse rolls off of an image with a rollout event. In fact, I think ANY execution of javascript after you initiate a load does this. At any rate, it looks as if the loading has stopped and nothing is happening.
HTML based applications suck.
- foreign0
best would be a page "loading" page then.
- valentim0
I tend to get a bit frustrated if loose control of a web ...however if I do get warned about following events it does help be more patient...you can hide the nav but find a way of explain to the end user what is coming....and if convinient why
- spiralstarez0
if you want to get fancy you can use a screen disabler I created at my last job:
Go to http://walmart.pnimedia.com/homeā¦
click 'start ordering now'
click terms & conditions and select any jpeg on your system
select 'upload now'
when you hit upload now, the rest of the screen is disabled so you can't click anywhere else, and an animated gif let's the user know it's uploading.
For implementation questions email