[Sigia-l] Rollover Question (Web 2.0)

[Ziya Oz]

tOM Trottier:

> Why isn't it always practical to have all pertinent info visible?

Because a) "pertinent" is in the eye of the beholder, b) the effective
screen real estate you have to play with is often not large enough and c)
information is often not flat and is best served in an hierarchical fashion
with progressive disclosure, enhancing but not competing with the
primary/visible bits.
 
> Any examples of when a rollover is preferable?

When all the primary and secondary/rollover bits are mixed at one level,
they end up competing for visual/interaction attention, produce clutter,
reduce legibility and comprehension, etc. It's Design Basics 101.

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Ziya

Usability >  Simplify the Solution
Design >  Simplify the Problem