I have done usability testing on both drop-down and flyout menus. I have never, and would never, recommend sideways flyout navigation. It is just too difficult for people, even with normal mobility, to manipulate. And even worse, people blame themselves for not being able to use them, thus feeling less empowered about using computers. Yuck, horrid!
I have seen good results from dropdown navigation though. Providing it is implemented in a way that is relatively 'sticky', and the box is wide enough, people can generally manipulate these quite easily. I have done user research for a number of websites and intranets where users really like them! Although I still avoid them (I think they are often used as a crutch for poor information architecture), there are some advantages to using them. They do allow people to gain a better understanding of what is in a section, beyond what can be described in a word or two. This reduces the need for a lot of forward and backward clicking and the resulting frustration. Donna On 4 Aug 2005 at 12:15, John Allsopp wrote: > > Has anyone done any user testing on drop downs? Tania maybe? > > I'd be interested to know wether users use these, or avoid them like > the plague - or don;t even notice them, afterall, how are we supposed > to know they are flyout or dropdown menus? > > HTH > > john > > John Allsopp -- Donna Maurer Maadmob Interaction Design e: [EMAIL PROTECTED] work: http://maadmob.com.au/ blog: http://maadmob.net/donna/blog/ AOL IM: maadmob ****************************************************** The discussion list for http://webstandardsgroup.org/ See http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm for some hints on posting to the list & getting help ******************************************************
