Modal Boxes vs. Pop up boxes

These days, the web design trends tend to be user-friendly as opposed to designer-friendly. Read: most of them might take more time to configure, but all elements are designed to help the visitors interact well with the website. An example of a user-friendly element is the modal box. Modal boxes are somewhat like pop-up boxes, only they’re not annoying advertisements. They’re useful and they’re always in-line with the website’s design and purpose. Modal boxes are also called dialogue boxes because they literally demand attention from the visitor. Once they pop up, they won’t allow the visitor to view and navigate the website unless the close icon is clicked on.

Obviously, before clicking on the close or “x” icon, the website visitor will have to read what’s inside the modal box. They’re also sometimes placed on web pages to buy the server some extra time. It’s a default pause or slow down element. Once the modal box pops up, the workflow on the website stops temporarily, at least until the visitor has finished reading the text inside the modal box.

The modal box defeats its purpose, though, the moment it becomes an annoyance because it’s a useless element used only for advertising. While it can be used as a marketing tool, web designers must be careful about being too obvious about it. Modal boxes are usually always informative. They explain the processes within the website. For example, in a social networking website, the moment you’ve encoded your password incorrectly, you might be asked about your date of birth. Because identity theft is rampant online, some visitors may be hesitant to give this information.

The modal box’s job, in this case, is to explain why the website requires this data. Of course, if you’re designing a modal box for an online store, you may also use it to announce a sale or an ongoing contest. As long as the event you’re announcing is useful for the visitor, then it’s alright to be put on a modal box.

Some sites also use the modal box to have customers or visitors answer polls or surveys. This is very tricky because it can be annoying if the web designer isn’t careful. Make sure that the survey or poll is always about making the service better. This way, the visitors will obligingly answer the survey without thinking that they’ve been trapped into doing so.

Ignition Media’s Gold Coast website designers and website developers only design to the highest standards using web 2.0 design trends and css to ensure all websites are light, clean and modern. Contact Ignition Media today for a free website quote to meet your personal requirements.