lofton.net

Amidst all the hoopla of the announcements of the “green” MacBook Pros, the iPhone, and now the new iMac, Apple has quietly been redesigning their site over the last few months. Almost two months ago they unveiled an new look for their computer product section. It is labeled “Mac”, but it includes other things such as accessories and software used with or on a Mac. The nifty interface thing they introduced was a scrolling palette/window in the page that displays all the products. As a new interface element they do something to help users cognitively understand what to do, as the scroll bar goes side ways.

Scrolling sideways is something that most users would not be inclined to do, but the Apple page loads with the scroll rolling to the second stop. So the users eye is drawn to the interface element moving and shown what it does at the same time. Of course, the second stop is the hardware, but you can see a couple of the software titles as well and the scroll bar itself has labels for each section. This same interface navigation is placed in the iPod/iTunes section. They also have side bars that have subdivided content sections that dynamically roll up accordion style. This is also used in the downloads section.

With the launch of the new iMac they have added some additional interface jazz. The hero section first loads as a quicktime movie, once that finishes it turns into an html block that fades in beautifully. Below that is a slide show element that explains the features and benefits of the iMac. Through out the iMac section are other interface enhancements that make navigating and exploring the product an incredible experience. You want to read things, click things and watch the demo videos. All in all, it is a rich user experience done elegantly and with a style that does not over power the product or get in the way. I want to buy one even though I don’t need one!