Hey all,

I'm curious on people's thoughts on tooltips, most especially as a data
delivery device rather than just a technique to say "click here to go
back" type directions. FM offers a lot of power through calculations to
potentially display a lot of information through tooltip. What are some
developers findings in how users like/deal/handle tooltips?

I've written more about this on my blog (about FileMaker, UI design,
Apple, and other stuff) should anyone want to see more info outside of the
newsgroup. The link is below:

http://www.secretweaponlabs.com/word...ivery-vehicle/

I put up some images to demonstrate some ideas and unfortunately I can't
paste them into my newsgroup post, thus why I mention the blog.

Regards,
Denis
SWL

In article <op.syyk0mjsaodpz6 (AT) grrrrr-6 (DOT) local>,
DENISno (AT) spamsecretweaponlabs (DOT) com says...
Users like tool tips to do what they expect them to do.

Overusing them to deliver information is poor design and reeks of 'shiny
new toy' syndrome.



To each their own.
-Dave

I absolutely agree with you...tool tips should do what users expect them
to.

However: we can set users' expectations. The important thing is to set
expectations and then rigorously deliver.

For example: my help system incorporates question mark icons placed
appropriately on layouts. ("appropriate" means conservative, strategic
placement as opposed to a multitude of question marks)

Another part of my help system is a "read me" page that tells users that
they can get help by hovering over the question marks. That page also
tells them that other graphic items are buttons, and hovering over them
reveals how to use the buttons.

So: my question mark icons aren't buttons, and the tool tips aren't
exactly tool tips in the conventional sense...but they do what users
expect them to.

Extending: why couldn't a developer create a consistent icon that
displays data...as long as somewhere in the documentation, a key is
given so the users expectations are set appropriately?

Frankly, I love the flexibility tool tips give me for displaying
information, but I'm very careful and consistent in how I use it.

Abbott

In article <MPG.1dc241e4d1955732989d81 (AT) shawnews (DOT) vf.shawcable.net>,
42 <nospam (AT) nospam (DOT) com> wrote:

I agree with you Abbott. It really depends on the type of user, as
well. If you have a system or solution with occasional users, then it
make sense to leave the tooltip simple to meet their expectations. But
when you have a group of users who utilize your solution as their core
work tool, then there is no reason that tooltips can't be used to
provide added information in places where it makes sense.

There is often secondary data that users don't need cluttering their
screens, yet they are wanting to see often enough that it makes no sense
to have to popup a separate window or change screens just to see a few
words or numbers. In these cases, and for heavy users, it makes great
sense to me to utilize tooltips to display that secondary data on rollover.


Abbott Schindler wrote:

--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Howard Schlossberg (818) 883-2846
FM Pro Solutions Los Angeles, California

FileMaker 7 Certified Developer
Associate Member, FileMaker Solutions Alliance

In article <abbottnospam-E46A42.18473428102005
@news1.west.earthlink.net>, abbottnospam (AT) nospamkbase (DOT) com says...
I suppose. That *is* a fairly novel use for "ALT" text on images but
its not unreasonable at all.

That said its still a little uninituitive ... someone who skipped the
readme might be frustrated and confused that the "?" help buttons don't
react to mouse clicks.

Because too many users don't read the documentation.

If I sit down at a system, and after spending 20 minutes trying to
figure out what a customers account number is I'm going to be a trifle
annoyed that the "solution" is to hold my mouse over the customer's name
and wait a few seconds for a tooltip containing it to pop up.

I don't disagree, but tooltips should probably supplant an alternative
way of getting the information, not replace it. Tooltips are a bit of a
special case because they are tied pretty much exclusively to the mouse
and its pointing equivalents (trackpad & trackball & joystick-mouse).

To make use of tool tips the pointer has to be stopped for a certain
number of milliseconds before the tip will appear. Merely hovering over
the button isn't enough. Many people do not have the fine motor control
to do that, or do it easily. They pretty much have to physiclly lift
their hands off the mouse.

Plus tooltips aren't available at all for users with a variety of
alternative input devices... and we're not just talking exotic voice
activated or eye-tracking systems for the handicapped or military
(although these devices certainly do exist)...but try even a ruggedized
PC for hostile (underwater/heavy vibration/etc) environments which
usually just have an oversized rugged keyboard that can be used with
gloves on...

Or maybe just a tablet PC with a stylus, a kiosk with a touch screen, or
a wireless PDA with a Citrix client.

Granted some of those scenarious might be out of scope for the average
filemaker guy hammering out a custom POS/CRM/etc system for a SOHO.. but
some of them are pretty mundane too and might affect someone you are
coding for.

-regards,
Dave