blink design library

Selecting items in web mail

It's interesting to examine the various approaches web mail applications use for selecting multiple items (messages) in a list.

Yahoo mail provides check boxes but also lets users use Shift + Click and Ctrl + Click--the way you would multiple-select items in a desktop application. Regardless of how the selection is made, the item is both highlighted and its check box is checked:

Windows Live Mail uses the identical approach, except the check boxes for individual messages aren't visible until you roll your mouse over an item (or select it):

Gmail relies on check boxes, but it also provides links that allow you to make selections based on the message state (read, unread, starred, etc). Shift + Click and Ctrl + Click don't work in Gmail, however.

.Mac mail dispenses with the check boxes all together and  relies exclusively on  Shift + Click and Ctrl + Click for selecting multiple messages.

Email My Shopping Cart

Many people use their email inbox as a catch-all reminder and reference system. This shopping cart leverages that behavior by allowing users to email their shopping cart to themselves (or email it to others).

From: YarnCountry.com

And, assuming I allow images in my email, the resulting message does a good job of reminding me what's it my cart (along with providing some "see more of" links).

Items Open in a New Tab

Yahoo mail takes the idea of tabbed browser and brings it into their web-based email application. Messages automatically open in a new tab. This avoids window clutter that would otherwise occur if each message opened in a new window.

From: Yahoo Mail