Better Multi-Select Widget
Andy Edmonds of Uzilla pointed me to the Better Multi-Select Widget.
“In a recent usability test with non-information workers in an intranet application, we discovered that none of the users successfully selected multiple responses when presented in a HTML select element with multiple selection enabled. To solve this problem, a new form of multi-select was crafted. In addition to creating an affordance multiple selection, this system also provides better system status information.”
I found the widget confusing at first but after about a minute I understood the concept. In effect you can hide and show a lot of information in a small space. I could see this concept being used quite effectively on small screens or in cases where users didn’t need to see a ton of options all at once. I think that this widget would be best used with semi-advanced and advanced users, mainly because it is not 100% clear how to use it without an overview or instructions.
The concept of hiding information in sections has been around for a while in Lotus Notes. In Notes, there is the concept of the “twistie” which is a little triangle that when clicked opens and closes sections of information. Not a new concept, but I haven’t seen anything exactly like this on the web. Not a revolution, but still kind of sweet.
June 24th, 2004 at 8:57 pm
By the way, I think that when “installed” average users wouldn’t have much trouble using the interface. If you knew that you were filling out a form, then this could very well work with novice users. After a couple of clicks, you get the idea. However, as a usability person or a developer, you might need to think for a while about how to best use the toolset.
By the way, the tool is open source and documented. It is something else you can drop into your bag of tricks…