Re: [WSG] *sigh* drop-downs

[Bill McAvinney]

Hi Justin,

Studies on this topic seem pretty scarce. The only one I'm aware of 
is http://psychology.wichita.edu/surl/usabilitynews/51/menu.htm
Unfortunately for you it doesn't show a statistically relevant 
difference in users perceptions of either, "Perceived 
Disorientation", "Perceived Ease of Navigation", or Perceived 
Frustration". What it does show is a speed difference in task 
completion with a categorical index menu being slightly faster than a 
drop down. BTW I don't think this was a very good user sample with 
only 18 people and over 70 percent using the web more than 25 hours a 
week.

Here's another interesting piece of info although not a "controlled" 
study that you could use for "Proof":
http://urlgreyhot.com/drupal/node/view/1440
It shows a significant user preference for use of inline links as 
opposed to an expanding menu nav.



--
Bill McAvinney
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