blink design library

Progressive Information Disclosure

Here, map pins give you a very short summary on rollover, with additional details on click.

Normal State:

On Rollover:

On Click:

From: Yahoo Travel

Quick Read Function

This blog gives users the option to view a "Quick Read" summary of a story - handy though I'm not sure why users can't just go directly to the full story from the main page (the "Read the Full Story" link is contained in the Quick Read pop-up).

Quick Read (on click):

From: The Huffington Post

QuickLook Feature

The product list pages of gap.com allow the option to view details in context by displaying the QuickLook button on rollover.  What I like is this approach is that provides the option to view the details rather than automatically displaying the entire pop-up on rollover. Automatic pop-ups can be distracting, particularly if they appear when the user is just moving their mouse across the page.

From: The Gap

Processing Status

This small pop-up (with the parent windows faded in the background) give clear processing status.

From: Vox

Quick Site Registration

Tabblo uses ajax to keep the user's context while presenting the registration form. The overall effect is super easy and quick registration.

From: Tabblo

Quick Item Details

This is an effective way of showing the details of items in a list while keeping the user within the list context. Netflix has done a particularly good job of implementing this feature. The pop-up appears after a slight delay when the mouse is placed over a link. Without the small delay, unwanted pop-ups can appear when simply running your mouse over the page.

From: Netflix

Fade Parent Window

This is a pop-up window that allows for selection of items. The parent page is faded, which gives more visual weight and distinction to the child page (pop-up) in front. This is increasingly being used in ajax-heavy sites.

From: Vox