scrollbar usability

July 15th, 2005 * Comments(0)

Jacob Nielsen from Useit.com wrote an  article on scrollbar design and usability.

There are five essential usability guidelines for scrolling and scrollbars:

– Offer a scrollbar if a page has scrolling content. Don’t rely on auto-scrolling, which people might not notice.

– Hide scrollbars if all content is visible. If people see a scrollbar, they assume there’s additional content and will be frustrated if they can’t scroll.

– Comply with GUI standards and use scrollbars that look like scrollbars.

– Avoid horizontal scrolling on Web pages and minimize it elsewhere.

– Display all important information above the fold. Users often decide whether to stay or leave based on what they can see without scrolling.

in short… keep it simple stupid (KISS)

Here’s a more detailed study in  Flash Usability

Design your own surfboard graphics

July 15th, 2005 * Comments(0)

A bit late but you can still make it if you hurry… the  Mariners Museum is holding a surfboard graphic design competition. The winner gets to keep the board

Cave diving

July 14th, 2005 * Comments(0)

About the only thing that comes close to the tranquility of walking in space is, in my mind, diving in caves.
The feeling when you turn off every light source and it’s suddenly just you and nothing but you. Everything around you dissapears, then after a brief moment of anxiety a feeling of total isolation and inner peace overwhelms you.

Some people meditate and do sorts of crazy stuff for years to reach that goal. I’m pretty sure every single one of them would switch to cave diving immediately if they knew just how incredible it is

Diving at night in the open water is somewhat similar yet worlds appart. In a cave everything has to be about you. There is no room for error. There is no injury rate in this sport, only mortality rate. Screw up and you’re gone. And it’s a very slow and painful way to go.

Of course not every cave is the same, some are quite suitable even for relative beginners if there’s lots of room and an easy way out. But what cave diving is really about is exploring deeper into the underground world of tunnels.

I don’t have the nerves, equipment or knowledge for it, I draw the line with tunnels too narrow to easily turn arround and distances beyond a quick and relatively easy getaway. Call me claustrophobic but I preffer not to gamble my life when I’m diving. But it still is a whole lot of fun exploring a cave, right up there with wreck penetration.

Anyway,  this is an excellent article that got me thinking about cave diving and made me realize, beyond any doubt , I do not want to be one of the elite bunch of cave divers.

But I do not mind having a taste

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