8 ms·

Hey all, I'm on the team that built this. We also built the redesign that launched last year. In fact, this was part of that. The article pretty much nails our

by Nycto 14y ago

Hey all, I'm on the team that built this. We also built the redesign that launched last year. In fact, this was part of that. The article pretty much nails our implementation. Point of fact: Our team is recruiting. If you dig UX projects like this, shoot our manager Chad an email: chaddes at amazon dot com

null_ptr 14y ago
Hi, are the blog commenters' lawsuit fears legitimate?
- tjic 14y ago
  No one will answer this. If they say "no", they're speaking for Amazon, and saying "we give you a right to infringe our patent". If they say "yes", they're speaking for Amazon, and making the firm look douchey. Mu - unask the question.
  - jschuur 14y ago
    It's perfectly valid to ask a question, even if you know the other side can't answer it. That doesn't mean we should give the engineers who come to this time a hard time about not answering it. It's just a legitimate thing to ask out loud.
    - saraid216 14y ago
      Hm. I'm going to disagree. If you know the engineer can't answer it, it's silly at best to ask it. At worst, it's malicious. See http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/JAQing_off http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/JAQing_off (If you don't know that, then there's no problem and a quick explanation why it's not worth asking should end the thread. It's not something I'd take someone to task for.)
      - okamiueru 14y ago
        Huh? What on earth are you talking about? Nothing you wrote makes sense. Someone asked a question on the merits of a patent, the likelihood of it being upheld if challenged, if it is at all patented, etc. What you are referring to is anti-intellectualism, to ask questions for the effect of the question itself. Hiding behind the hypothetical, and not for the desire to know the answer. The root question here wanted to know an answer, not play any game. "Silly at best to ask it"? Again, what on earth are you talking about? If people have an insight to give, they will give it. "Not something i"d take someone to task for"? Do usually tell people the things you don't feel like doing?
        saraid216 14y ago
        > Do usually tell people the things you don't feel like doing? No, but I usually write complete sentences.
jordw 14y ago
I sit next to the team that built this, and work with them nearly every day. They are every bit as awesome as the dropdown would suggest, and you should definitely email Chad about working with them if you are interested in projects like this.
revorad 14y ago
Off-topic, but can't miss this opportunity: Please tell us why the Amazon homepage doesn't auto-focus into the search box. I think of this every single time I go to the site.
- jonknee 14y ago
  If I had to guess it would be that it doesn't test as well. Similarly to a physical store wanting you to browse, I can imagine Amazon wants you to look at the suggested items. If you wanted to search you will still search, but you might also get distracted and purchase something you were interested in.
  - revorad 14y ago
    That's what I came up with too. But on thinking deeper, it doesn't seem to hold true. The kind of user who likes to browse will probably browse using a mouse, not a keyboard like us nerds. So the position of the cursor doesn't matter to them. I hardly ever go to Amazon and not directly search for something (except maybe during Black Friday deals when I just click on the banner). I'd bet Amazon loses money by making me do an extra mouse click into the search box every time. Unless there's a sizeable proportion of users who go to the homepage and scroll using the keyboard, I don't get it.
    - lowboy 14y ago
      Seeing a blinking cursor and a potentially-highlighted search box (not for me on Chrome at least) might distract a portion of those users. edit: Mouse movement = tracking content with eyes? http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5333496 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5333496
    - deleted 14y ago
      [deleted]
    - powermeat 14y ago
      You've gone to Amazon, had to do an extra click, and decided not to buy because of that?
Raphael 14y ago
I've always found the 2-stage menu a major annoyance. Navigation always takes way too many steps: 1) hover "Department" if the window isn't wide enough; 2) hover category; 3) decipher the crazy sub-menu that appears to the right; 4) move mouse over and click the same category. I've always disliked doing this many steps. Please make the Department menu into links such that I can avoid the sub-menus.
- dylangs1030 14y ago
  You honestly find the demonstration in this link to be too many steps? It takes less than a second to navigate. Literally.
  - lancewiggs 14y ago
    Yes. It drives me batshit crazy, and I avoid using these menus, and it decreases my propensity to use sites that depend on them. To me a menu should be simple. If I click on something I expect to go somewhere, not have my screen taken over. Short takeaway - we are all different, us users, and what someone thinks is awesome design, someone else finds unusable. So providing multiple options is a must.
    - lhnn 14y ago
      >If I click on something I expect to go somewhere You are going somewhere. To the instant mini-view of what would have been an entire page in 1999: More navigation and drill-down. > So providing multiple options is a must Not all opinions are equal in quality/quantity, and this ain't government.
BlindRubyCoder 14y ago
Brilliant. I have to admit I was wondering how that was done. It's always fast when I go to use it. Nice work, it's the little things like that that really matter
Serow225 14y ago
Am I the only one that gets tripped up each time I go to Amazon by mousing over the button and immediately clicking on it, thinking that's how to get the dropdown to appear, only to have the click take me to 'my account', then requiring me to go back up to the menu and wait for it to drop down instead of clicking? :)
- dylangs1030 14y ago
  No, that used to happen to me almost all the time. My habits only just recently adapted to it. It's funny how ubiquitous unfeatures are that when we're treated to nice features we unintentionally sabotage them. We have to unlearn the former habits.
oh_sigh 14y ago
Slightly offtopic, but why doesn't amazon.com have the caret auto-focus on the search box for typing, like google.com does?
tytung2020 14y ago
off topic..but does Amazon hardware department need people? I have a cool phone/tablet design..a convertible 5" phone that can turn into a 7" tablet.

by Nycto 14y ago

null_ptr 14y ago

Hi, are the blog commenters' lawsuit fears legitimate?

tjic 14y ago
No one will answer this. If they say "no", they're speaking for Amazon, and saying "we give you a right to infringe our patent". If they say "yes", they're speaking for Amazon, and making the firm look douchey. Mu - unask the question.
- jschuur 14y ago
  It's perfectly valid to ask a question, even if you know the other side can't answer it. That doesn't mean we should give the engineers who come to this time a hard time about not answering it. It's just a legitimate thing to ask out loud.
  - saraid216 14y ago
    Hm. I'm going to disagree. If you know the engineer can't answer it, it's silly at best to ask it. At worst, it's malicious. See http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/JAQing_off http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/JAQing_off (If you don't know that, then there's no problem and a quick explanation why it's not worth asking should end the thread. It's not something I'd take someone to task for.)
    - okamiueru 14y ago
      Huh? What on earth are you talking about? Nothing you wrote makes sense. Someone asked a question on the merits of a patent, the likelihood of it being upheld if challenged, if it is at all patented, etc. What you are referring to is anti-intellectualism, to ask questions for the effect of the question itself. Hiding behind the hypothetical, and not for the desire to know the answer. The root question here wanted to know an answer, not play any game. "Silly at best to ask it"? Again, what on earth are you talking about? If people have an insight to give, they will give it. "Not something i"d take someone to task for"? Do usually tell people the things you don't feel like doing?
      - saraid216 14y ago
        > Do usually tell people the things you don't feel like doing? No, but I usually write complete sentences.

jordw 14y ago

I sit next to the team that built this, and work with them nearly every day. They are every bit as awesome as the dropdown would suggest, and you should definitely email Chad about working with them if you are interested in projects like this.

revorad 14y ago

Off-topic, but can't miss this opportunity: Please tell us why the Amazon homepage doesn't auto-focus into the search box. I think of this every single time I go to the site.

jonknee 14y ago
If I had to guess it would be that it doesn't test as well. Similarly to a physical store wanting you to browse, I can imagine Amazon wants you to look at the suggested items. If you wanted to search you will still search, but you might also get distracted and purchase something you were interested in.
- revorad 14y ago
  That's what I came up with too. But on thinking deeper, it doesn't seem to hold true. The kind of user who likes to browse will probably browse using a mouse, not a keyboard like us nerds. So the position of the cursor doesn't matter to them. I hardly ever go to Amazon and not directly search for something (except maybe during Black Friday deals when I just click on the banner). I'd bet Amazon loses money by making me do an extra mouse click into the search box every time. Unless there's a sizeable proportion of users who go to the homepage and scroll using the keyboard, I don't get it.
  - lowboy 14y ago
    Seeing a blinking cursor and a potentially-highlighted search box (not for me on Chrome at least) might distract a portion of those users. edit: Mouse movement = tracking content with eyes? http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5333496 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5333496
  - deleted 14y ago
    [deleted]
  - powermeat 14y ago
    You've gone to Amazon, had to do an extra click, and decided not to buy because of that?

Raphael 14y ago

I've always found the 2-stage menu a major annoyance. Navigation always takes way too many steps: 1) hover "Department" if the window isn't wide enough; 2) hover category; 3) decipher the crazy sub-menu that appears to the right; 4) move mouse over and click the same category. I've always disliked doing this many steps. Please make the Department menu into links such that I can avoid the sub-menus.

dylangs1030 14y ago
You honestly find the demonstration in this link to be too many steps? It takes less than a second to navigate. Literally.
- lancewiggs 14y ago
  Yes. It drives me batshit crazy, and I avoid using these menus, and it decreases my propensity to use sites that depend on them. To me a menu should be simple. If I click on something I expect to go somewhere, not have my screen taken over. Short takeaway - we are all different, us users, and what someone thinks is awesome design, someone else finds unusable. So providing multiple options is a must.
  - lhnn 14y ago
    >If I click on something I expect to go somewhere You are going somewhere. To the instant mini-view of what would have been an entire page in 1999: More navigation and drill-down. > So providing multiple options is a must Not all opinions are equal in quality/quantity, and this ain't government.

BlindRubyCoder 14y ago

Brilliant. I have to admit I was wondering how that was done. It's always fast when I go to use it. Nice work, it's the little things like that that really matter

Serow225 14y ago

Am I the only one that gets tripped up each time I go to Amazon by mousing over the button and immediately clicking on it, thinking that's how to get the dropdown to appear, only to have the click take me to 'my account', then requiring me to go back up to the menu and wait for it to drop down instead of clicking? :)

dylangs1030 14y ago
No, that used to happen to me almost all the time. My habits only just recently adapted to it. It's funny how ubiquitous unfeatures are that when we're treated to nice features we unintentionally sabotage them. We have to unlearn the former habits.

oh_sigh 14y ago

Slightly offtopic, but why doesn't amazon.com have the caret auto-focus on the search box for typing, like google.com does?

tytung2020 14y ago

off topic..but does Amazon hardware department need people? I have a cool phone/tablet design..a convertible 5" phone that can turn into a 7" tablet.