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Modification to admin layout's right column
12/29/06 12:02 PM - improvement (data entry) :: Priority: 1
I'm not sure the functionality of the right column administrative menus is worth the loss of screen real estate and the confusion it might cause.
I want to suggest that the View and Search menus join the other menus at the top left. This would have the advantage of being a more intuitive approach, as least form my perspective.
- Many of the view categories (News, Database articles, Resources, etc.) will be more easily navigated with a table view listing the articles as we've discussed. These views would benefit from a series of selectors at the top of the page to limit the length of the table listing. The columns could also have sort capabilities to facilitate viewing the listings.
- Some of the others (Site Map, Design Elements) do benefit from the quick navigation afforded by this structure. But, maybe these could be laid out horizontally rather than vertically (i.e., the list of design elements in a box at the top of the page and the detail below, rather than side by side).
With the additional space, we could offer some additional guidance to the user, lengthen the data entry fields, or try other enhancements.