490765 - "Log Out" and "Preferences" are normally in the top-right corner in web apps

Status: RESOLVED FIXED

(Bugzilla :: User Interface, defect)

Description

[Max Kanat-Alexander]

From pyrzak's students' research:

"It is a common web pattern to have preferences and logout on personalized websites on the top right corner. Adding it to the main page itself is distracting from the key elements."

We've already solved the bit about it being on the main page, but we could still move the header bits into a different location, probably after we do a fixed-position header.

Comment 1

[Teemu Mannermaa (:wicked)]

What I have found confusing was the way we have 2-3 logins on a single page. This is especially problematic when there's user, password, login button, checkbox to remember and new account link and it should also have a link to forgotten password but doesn't (5-6 controls). And then this is repeated in both header and footer (10-12 controls with two copies) and for the actual login page there's same controls in the middle of the page (atleast 15-18 controls with three copies). And we still wonder why users are confused? :)

This is especially noticeable on big screens and short pages where both the header and footer are visible. This crowding effect combined with bug 490763 does peg the question if we should still duplicate other information between header of footer or simply have them contain different, meaningful things.. But that's another bug.

IMHO, we should just preserve the header login and remove it from footer. And to save screen estate should probably move remember and forgotten controls above the actual login controls (and distance these clearly from rest the of header). And for the login page we should remove either the header or middle page login controls. 

Also the forgotten password link (on header and from actual login page) should go to a separate page with only forgotten password controls in the middle of page (header login can stay).

Comment 2

[Max Kanat-Alexander]

Yep, all those are issues that will be resolved by this bug or others! :-)

Comment 3

[Kohei Yoshino [:kohei]]

BMO's new global header contains the Account menu at the top right corner, and Log out and Preferences can be found there. It will be included in the upstream 6.0 release coming 2018.

Comment 4

[Kohei Yoshino [:kohei]]

The original request has been fulfilled in Bug 1376826.