Floating Windows Use Examples
Floating Windows are used to show user additional information while keeping her in the same web browser window. Why should a website design use floating windows? They…
- Improve usability as they replace pop-up windows,
- Keep context as the additional information is displayed on the same window,
- Save precious space,
- Avoid taking the user to another page,
- Additional information or features are shown instantly
Here I present a collection of websites using floating windows in their website design:
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Google Mail uses a floating window to let the user change the personal picture. With this approach Google Mail prevent the user of loosing the a pop-up window among other browser windows.
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Shopping.com gives online help with a floating window, this a great solution that improves the user experience.
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Best Buy displays a floating window as the user hover with the mouse arrow over the product. It shows additional information about that specific product that placing it in the home page would have made it too busy.
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At Mapoot.com, a real estate listings website developed by Design vs Art, we use a floating window to show property pictures without taking the user to another page and without loosing the context (in this case the ad for that particular property).
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Techcrunch, the famous blog, uses the Snap Shots application to give an advance of a link, as the user hover over that link a floating window appears to show a screen shot of the destination site.
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Google Maps uses floating windows embedded into the map itself to show additional information about, for example, a restaurant or business. Not taking the user to another window has great value as it allows him to "play" and search on the map without loosing the context.
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Facebook uses floating windows everywhere. In this example, it displays one when the user wants to add a link to share with a friend.
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Digg presents a floating window to send messages to friends when the user want to share a story. Also in this example, the floating window gives context, it tells the user "you are sharing just this story".
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Floating windows are an excellent idea when the user expects an action on the page. I like them much more than pop-ups. Having said that, when I *don’t* want them (Snap popups for example) they annoy the hell out of me. Get out of the way!