Usability Gift: Response
Here is my answer:
jean-francois,
I’ll start with a couple of caveats. First, I don’t know the goal of the site or the page. (Free internet studies?) Second, my comments and recommendations are going to be very rough. This is a very light heuristic analysis which is not based on any solid data.
Regarding the first comment, the usability of the page would very likely be improved by adding a simple purpose statement. “The purpose of this page is to…” Depending on your users, it might also make sense to offer a link / help icon / pop up that provided further help. I don’t think taking users to another page makes sense in this case. In any event, offering up more information about what to expect and what to do would help quite a bit. Place this information near the top of the page, above the menu itself.
Next, I think we should look at Usable Web Menus for a quick list of usability “rules” to consider:
1. Menus must be considerate of the user’s main task
2. Menus must be distinct from content
3. Menus must be clearly readable
4. Menus must be easily scanned for information
5. Menus must be easily operated
6. Menus must behave as your target user would expect
7. Menus must load quickly as possible
8. Menus must be consistent across a site
9. Menus must put a higher premium on usability than branding
10. Menus must be localizable
11. Menus must be accessible to the handicapped
12. Menus must work on multiple browsers
Note: I don’t recommend Usable Web Menus. It is out of date and out of print. Still, I like the rules posted above and I usually reference them when reviewing menus.
I’m going to target item 5 first. I don’t mind the use of folders. Users are generally familiar with this paradigm, mainly because of Windows. My main issue is that the text is not clickable. The folder icon and the text should be clickable. It might make sense to underline the text. If that isn’t a design you like, consider having an underline appear as the user rolls over the text in the menu. Either way, strongly consider making the text clickable.
Regarding item 6, the menu doesn’t quick operate as I would expect. First, it pops open and is justified at the top of the page. I’d rather have it just open up. Don’t bother with that justification because it causes the user to lose their context on the page. Second, I don’t like that the menu closes items I have open. Since you’re utilizing a Windows folders paradigm, stick with it. Keep folder open until manually closed. Users expect this. Also consider that some users will want to compare one menu section that is open to another that is open. That’s not possible unless you follow my recommendation.
I’d focus on improving what the user sees when they open a menu item up. The box format isn’t too bad in terms of the literal format. I understand your desire for visual control, particularly the table layout and justification. However, what does catalog number mean and why does it matter? What is other media and why does it matter? It is possible that your purpose statement could provide some clues, but I’d need to see it to provide better advice.
I do have other comments, but my time is up! I’ll conclude by saying that you have good raw material. The changes needed are evolutionary rather than revolutionary. That’s how I feel right now at least…
p.s. I think you could get a lot of mileage out of using Ajax. Namely, I’d consider providing users with a clue about what they would get as they rolled over the menu items. You have good data and metadata, consider showing that data, perhaps to the right hand part of the page. I recommended this on a recent project and it was a smash hit!
p.p.s. A flyout menu, done right, might be another design solution if you are looking for a new look and feel. I’m kind of partial to FreeStyle Menus v1.0 RC9 (for inspiration, if nothing else).