Hello Ulrik, I've just been working on a product that allows its users to edit Web pages inline. There, too, we sought to minimize the visual clutter because it would easily obscure the content of the Web page (which we had no control over). Our solution was to draw nonobtrusive borders around editable areas that light up ever so slightly as you hover your mouse over them. We also included a button to hide those borders so the user could see the Web page without having to leave edit mode. Also, because we couldn't know the contents of the Web page, we chose border colors that were likely to contrast with most common colors on the Web, and we made those border colors configurable. Only when a user clicks inside an editable area does the user get to see a blinking cursor, a toolbar etc. Clicking outside the area returns the area to its normal, bordered state. Hope this helps, Mathijs Panhuijsen Technical Writer SDL Tridion -----Original Message----- From: ACM SIGCHI WWW Human Factors (Open Discussion) [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Ulrik Gade Sent: Sunday, June 10, 2007 10:55 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Visual cues for in-place editing? Hi, I'm involved in a redesign for a business web app. We'd like to reduce the clutter of controls in columnar displays of numbers by only displaying the input control during actual editing of a data item, i.e. grid style in-place editing though these are not strictly grids. However, not all numbers may be edited at all times so we need a graphic technique to give users visual cues about which numbers s/he may/not edit at any one time. Do you have any suggestions for good solutions to this? (Please provide screen shots as well as URLs as some sites are unfortunately censored in this country). I'm also interested in suggestions for interactive (hover) effects to enhance the perception of editing affordance. But these are the main concern for this request. Thanks for any replies. I'll summarize to the list if you prefer to respond to privately. /Ulrik -- Ulrik H. Gade Usability Designer c/o Marcura FZE PO Box 54614 Office no. 204, West Wing 3 Dubai Airport Free Zone Dubai, United Arab Emirates Home: +971 (0)4 2888 147 Mobile: +971 (0)50 653 6181 Fax: +971 4 299 7923 E-mail: [log in to unmask] The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step -------------------------------------------------------------- Tip of the Day: Use the archives to research common questions CHI-WEB: www.sigchi.org/web POSTINGS: mailto:[log in to unmask] MODERATORS: mailto:[log in to unmask] SUBSCRIPTION CHANGES & FAQ: www.sigchi.org/web/faq.html -------------------------------------------------------------- .This e-mail is intended exclusively for the addressee(s),and may not be passed on to, or made available for use by any person other than the addressee(s).Tridion rules out any and every liability resulting from any electronic transmission. -------------------------------------------------------------- Tip of the Day: Suspend your subscription if using auto replies CHI-WEB: www.sigchi.org/web POSTINGS: mailto:[log in to unmask] MODERATORS: mailto:[log in to unmask] SUBSCRIPTION CHANGES & FAQ: www.sigchi.org/web/faq.html --------------------------------------------------------------