More to the Web Page Than Meets the Eye
Mouseover design trend hides content to result in less cluttered home pages.
(E&P) Steve Outiing: I've complained before about news Web site home pages: They're often too cluttered and confusing. There are too many clicking and viewing options vying for attention. It can require multiple scrolls to view all the offerings on the page. On many there's not much of a focal point for readers (the page index syndrome). Some major sites have responded to the problem by trimming back the clutter in the last year. But perhaps there's a solution in the concept of hiding content behind layers -- having lots of content on a home page, but much of it not being visible until users pass a mouse over a trigger, which reveals what's underneath. This seems a logical way to reduce the news home-page mess. → Full Column (from Mike Plonski's favorite columnist)
(E&P) Steve Outiing: I've complained before about news Web site home pages: They're often too cluttered and confusing. There are too many clicking and viewing options vying for attention. It can require multiple scrolls to view all the offerings on the page. On many there's not much of a focal point for readers (the page index syndrome). Some major sites have responded to the problem by trimming back the clutter in the last year. But perhaps there's a solution in the concept of hiding content behind layers -- having lots of content on a home page, but much of it not being visible until users pass a mouse over a trigger, which reveals what's underneath. This seems a logical way to reduce the news home-page mess. → Full Column (from Mike Plonski's favorite columnist)