Invisible menu to appear on hover?

DavidO · 11-20-2009, 06:55 AM

Has anyone tried an invisible menu that only appears on mouseover? I'm creating a new site with a really clean look and the menu ruins my design goals wherever I put it.

I think if you put it in a real natural place for the cursor to pass over (like between the header and body) it should be easily detected. If not, a small menu label with an arrow pointing to the rollover area should do the trick.

Any thoughts on this?

Richard Whyte · 11-20-2009, 07:38 AM

This sounds like a good idea, but with all the different browsers and Operating Systems out in the world, this can casue you a lot of problems.

I just finished a large project that had fades of items and hidden content....

I can't tell you how long I had to wrestle with the code to get it to work on all the different platforms. Between FireFox, IE, Safari, and Chrome each acting in different ways and then the Mac / Windows / Linux fight, this was not a real fun....

I suggest you stay with a nice clean CSS menu that drops down when hovered over... It's clean, fast, small and easy to setup.

Have a Great Day!

DavidO · 11-20-2009, 08:00 AM

Richard, I understand what you're saying. I've been through that sort of thing too. But the invisible menu is really pretty simple coding and I've found a ready-made example that works in all the main browsers I've been able to test:

Textism

Just put the cursor anywhere in the headline area and you'll see the effect.

crecemedia · 11-20-2009, 10:31 AM

Hi David,

I have been really focusing on interface design for the last couple of months and can only recommend the need of having a viewable menu.

If people are interested in your site and want to look more into it, thats the first thing the will look for.

What color is the background? If is white or something similar add a simple text menu with very small contrast, but still differentiate it from the background, and then when hovered make the text darker.

If you know a bit of HTML: if its a white background try making the text color #767676, then when hovered at #454545. Its a super subtle color effect but it will work more than no visible menu at all. You need to make it easy for your visitors to browse your site, so maybe try something like this:

Normal

On-Hover

Cheers,
Francisco

11-20-2009, 06:55 AM	#1
DavidO Senior Warrior Member War Room Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: United Kingdom, Spain Posts: 2,031 Thanks: 10 Thanked 101 Times in 58 Posts	Invisible menu to appear on hover? Has anyone tried an invisible menu that only appears on mouseover? I'm creating a new site with a really clean look and the menu ruins my design goals wherever I put it. I think if you put it in a real natural place for the cursor to pass over (like between the header and body) it should be easily detected. If not, a small menu label with an arrow pointing to the rollover area should do the trick. Any thoughts on this?

11-20-2009, 07:38 AM	#2
Richard Whyte HyperActive Warrior Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 319 Thanks: 12 Thanked 51 Times in 44 Posts Social Networking Contact Info	Re: Invisible menu to appear on hover? This sounds like a good idea, but with all the different browsers and Operating Systems out in the world, this can casue you a lot of problems. I just finished a large project that had fades of items and hidden content.... I can't tell you how long I had to wrestle with the code to get it to work on all the different platforms. Between FireFox, IE, Safari, and Chrome each acting in different ways and then the Mac / Windows / Linux fight, this was not a real fun.... I suggest you stay with a nice clean CSS menu that drops down when hovered over... It's clean, fast, small and easy to setup. Have a Great Day!
	Richard Whyte - Website Design, Search Engine Optimization and Online Marketing - WebYabber.com, Read my Blog - richard-whyte.com, Easy Sales Page Creator - Power Sales Page Creator

11-20-2009, 08:00 AM	#3
DavidO Senior Warrior Member War Room Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: United Kingdom, Spain Posts: 2,031 Thanks: 10 Thanked 101 Times in 58 Posts	Re: Invisible menu to appear on hover? Richard, I understand what you're saying. I've been through that sort of thing too. But the invisible menu is really pretty simple coding and I've found a ready-made example that works in all the main browsers I've been able to test: Textism Just put the cursor anywhere in the headline area and you'll see the effect.

11-20-2009, 10:31 AM	#4
crecemedia Francisco Guerrero War Room Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: San Juan, PR Posts: 68 Thanks: 11 Thanked 11 Times in 11 Posts Contact Info	Re: Invisible menu to appear on hover? Hi David, I have been really focusing on interface design for the last couple of months and can only recommend the need of having a viewable menu. If people are interested in your site and want to look more into it, thats the first thing the will look for. What color is the background? If is white or something similar add a simple text menu with very small contrast, but still differentiate it from the background, and then when hovered make the text darker. If you know a bit of HTML: if its a white background try making the text color #767676, then when hovered at #454545. Its a super subtle color effect but it will work more than no visible menu at all. You need to make it easy for your visitors to browse your site, so maybe try something like this: Normal On-Hover Cheers, Francisco