June 28

Communicating web content language choice

multi-lingual wordcloud hello

The web is no longer dominated by English speakers: only about 1-in-4 Internet users speak English. Even native-English speaking countries have substantial populations that are more comfortable communicating in a different language. And some websites are required by law to provide information in alternate languages.

There are two types of multilingual content: web sites geolocated to a specific country and web content that has been translated for non-native speakers.

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Category: Design, Navigation | LEAVE A COMMENT
February 9

Invisible scroll bars lead to search results that seem MIA

Designers should present search results in a place and manner where the searcher can see them without needing to adjust her browser.

In other words, after I click “search” one of two things needs to happen:

  1. The click launches a new page and the search results are at the top, the first thing I see OR
  2. The search results appear directly below the search field or button and are immediately viewable and obvious.

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November 16

Dear LinkedIn: UI help desperately needed

Anyone who has a LinkedIn account probably knows of the pain I’m about to describe.

The scenario

You’ve received an invitation to connect from someone who seems only vaguely familiar.

When you mouseover the person’s name on the pending invitations page, LinkedIn generates a pop-up that shows you the second-degree connections. In this example, there are 19.

LinkedIn Invitation
Figure 1. LinkedIn Invitation To Connect; 19 connections

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Category: Navigation | LEAVE A COMMENT