Mesanna's Weblog

A few weeks back I wrote about the Mozilla Design Challenge Summer 2009, in which they asked for ideas on how to redesign the Firefox tab system to overcome the problems faced when users open many tabs at once.

The deadline for submissions has now passed and you can view all the submissions at Mozilla’s showcase site here. Several concepts came up again and again, and I have outlined the key points below.

• The idea that not all tabs are equal came up often. There are certain tabs that people like to keep open constantly such as Gmail or Facebook, and many submissions felt that these should be treated differently to web pages that you may only view once. Several submissions discussed the idea of keeping web applications (like Gmail or Google Docs) separate from regular surfing.
• It was often theorized that there should be some sort of grouping system for tabs. For example, if I open the BBC News main page, and click half a dozen links from that page, perhaps these tabs should be grouped in a parent/child format? Suggestions for grouping types varied, including grouping by domain, by web applications, by time or by topic (e.g. news, social networking etc.)
• Many submissions felt that a Search box should be included which allowed users to search through currently open tabs for specific information.
• Several submissions felt that the browser History, Bookmarks and Tab interface should be combined in some way, perhaps in a time-line, so that users could easily find sites without having to keep multiple tabs open.
• Some submissions tried to improve upon the current tab system by adding features to improve organisation, like tab grouping or some sort of colour coding system. Other submissions were in favour of scraping the current system completely and redoing the whole concept of tabs from the ground up.
• Many submissions incorporated some sort of visual preview of currently open tabs, which assisted users in locating a specific tab easily.

Having sat through a lot of videos, I’ve given below my ideas on how I think the tab system could be overhauled.

It’s important to recognize that the vast majority of users rarely open more than half a dozen tabs at once. In this scenario, tab management is not an issue and does incline me to think that a complete overhaul is perhaps not necessary. Having said that, as more and more applications become web based, this may well change in the future and perhaps we should be planning ahead. There is an issue with usability however, which Mozilla recognizes. Quite simply, many people are comfortable with tabs and may not wish for a radical change in the user interface. I feel that the designers need to find the line between satisfying the power users without alienating the browsing majority by breaking their familiar interface.

Some of the submissions added an extra button on the toolbar which, when clicked, opened a page displaying information on open tabs, whether in the form of a visual preview or a simple list. I feel that this idea is a good one. In fact, for now, I’d run the current tab system as it is, with the option to click open a “tab management” page if required. This satisfies both regular and power users without confusing the less tech-savvy. And perhaps, two or three releases down the line, the tab management page could become the default, as users would be very familiar with it by then. I like the idea of a single button only opening a tab management screen when required. I am very much against a permanent left or right hand menu, as this take up valuable screen space. Not everyone has a large monitor. Indeed, in the case of netbooks, screen space is often very limited.

So what would the “tab management” screen consist of? Many submissions offered a visual preview of open tabs. I like this idea and feel it simplifies the business of finding one tab amongst a couple of dozen.  Some submissions took the idea a little further and allowed drag and drop as well as grouping of tabs. This seemed to me to be a very effective way of managing multiple tabs in a clear and efficient manner.

Everyone’s requirements are different of course, and what seems favourable to me may appall you!   I’ve listed below some of the submissions which I found appealing. I don’t always agree with every single aspect that the submitters proposed, but they usually had at least one good concept in their video.

Smart Tab Concept – Andrey Dydyura

Visual Tabs – Aneesh Karve

Concept – Christian Fickinger

Wave Concept – Darby Thomas, Danielle Kanastab & Alex Mattice

Hover Shelf – Damon Dimmick

CubeZilla – Faber Ludens

Tab Wall – Frederick Imbert

Thumbtabs – Jacek Spiewla

Tab Tray – Ken Moore

Collapsible Tab Groups – Martin Polley

Concept – Maxim Soloviev

P.I.E. Tabs – Severin Brettmeister

Tablines – SVA Interaction Design MFA program-Team

I haven’t quite decided who to vote for yet. On one hand, I’m drawn to the simplicity and usability of  Concept by Maxim Soloviev, as well as Damon Dimmick’s Hover Shelf. On the other hand, I love the total redesign offered by Frederick Imbert’s Tab Wall. Oh, decisions, decisions!

You can head over the the Mozilla showcase site to submit a vote for your favourite design. Voting closes on Sunday 5th July, 2009.