37signals new announcement panel is too intrusive

Posted by: Josh Walsh in User Experience.

I’m a bit perplexed with the way 37signals has implemented their new announcement feature inside of Basecamp.  As developers it is important that we communicate changes to our applications with our users.  It shows that we are attentive and dedicated to fixing problems.

While it is important that the people using our software read these announcements, we should realize that it’s not the most important part of their experience.   The new announcement system in Basecamp is intrusive.  It’s popped-up in your face as the first thing you see.  You are forced to address it before you can continue.

Intrusive interface elements can be a powerful tool in the UI designers toolbox.  However, they need to be used responsibly.  Some announcements may warrant this intrusive behavior, but the one I saw today certainly did not.

September 17, 2009 –  Fixed an issue with switching out of the image grid view on the files tab.

37Signals Announcement

In my opinion, there was nothing wrong with the way it worked previously.  It was positioned prominently at the top of the Dashboard, but wasn’t intruding.

I speculate this decision was made to ensure announcements are seen on all pages.  We don’t always see the dashboard, and an important announcement could be missed.  In that case, I think they should just show an announcement indicator which links to the announcement.

I’m probably making a mountain out of a molehill here, but I think it demonstrates a key problem with many web interfaces.