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Menu navigation layout theory - single icon to multiple forms

D

Dreven

n00b
Joined
Oct 30, 2006
Messages
32
I have a web application where the main menu is graphic icon based and vertical. Part of the site is that a user can create 'items' of which there are 8 different item types. Each of the item times has it's own graphic icon, but listing them all all on the menu makes it too long and confusing, so I need to replace them with a single 'create item' icon. When one of the unique 'create xxx item' icons is clicked, the form comes up in a jQuery modal Dialog.

I can't decide exactly what to do on this (what would be the most easy functionality for a user - or least annoying considering this will take a single click on a specific item to a hover+click or click+click action to get to the right form).

  1. Have the 8 'item' icons slide downward on click/hover of the 'create item' icon
  2. Have the 8 'item' icons fly out to the right over the page content
  3. Clicking the 'create item' icon on the main menu opens the jQuery modal to the 'create' form of the first item type. Inside the dialog with the form is all of the unique item icons (horizontal, vertical, left, right - whatever). So say the user clicks the 'new item' icon on the main menu and a new item form opens up for 'item type a' with all the icons for the other forms where the user can click any of those icons to change form types while still in the modal dialog.

I think I like the last idea the best because it doesn't involve an expanding menu situation, except this would involve opening a specific form that 90% of the time is not going to be right form. And, switching to the other form would involve a 2nd set of queries for some of the form elements. I don't think it would look good to open up into a Dialog with just the 8 items and no form, although I haven't played with that. I have no idea what would be best though and sometimes I have a hard to picturing what the feels better to an average user.

Thanks for any thoughts.
 
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Would your userbase know the difference between the 8 types just by looking at the icon? If not, then put a "Create Item" icon that will open a form to display the 8 types, along with a short explanation of the type next to the icon. Let them choose which to create from there, and direct the user to the proper form/layout to build the new item.

Basically provide a simple, one-click way for the user to get started on making a new item. Then add any UI/UX eye candy within the item creation process.
 
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