588274 - Change the site identity block to yellow if there is an error loading the page

Status: NEW

(Firefox :: General, defect)

Description

[Alex Faaborg [:faaborg] (Firefox UX)]

If there is an error loading the page (network connection, sll cert issues), we should change the site identity block to yellow, matching the state of the content area message.

Comment 1

[Brian Smith (:briansmith, :bsmith, use NEEDINFO?)]

IMO, the site identity block should be exclusively about site identity and privacy, so only problems affecting the site identity or privacy should affect its appearance. If there is a problem loading the page the user is probably going to reload or move on to something else, so maybe the user's attention is better focused on the reload icon in that case.

Comment 2

[Matt McCutchen]

I agree with Brian.  A better use of yellow might be for valid but "weak" SSL (mixed content, weak cipher, or no renegotiation indication).

Comment 3

[Mike Connor [:mconnor]]

This came up in discussion when I noticed that we now tag chrome/about pages to note their origin.  I actually think that it's an unnecessary limitation to try to constrain that area to identity/privacy.  Especially now that we're using this area for other indicators (plugins, geolocation, etc), I think we should look at ways to use this area to help users understand the context of what they're looking at.  If it's an SSL or EV site, that's fine.  If something is wrong with the URL requested, I think it's a fine spot to put that context (I'd add text, like a very short error string).

Comment 4

[Brian Smith (:briansmith, :bsmith, use NEEDINFO?)]

(In reply to Mike Connor [:mconnor] from comment #3)
> This came up in discussion when I noticed that we now tag chrome/about pages
> to note their origin.  I actually think that it's an unnecessary limitation
> to try to constrain that area to identity/privacy.  Especially now that
> we're using this area for other indicators (plugins, geolocation, etc), I
> think we should look at ways to use this area to help users understand the
> context of what they're looking at.  If it's an SSL or EV site, that's fine.
> If something is wrong with the URL requested, I think it's a fine spot to
> put that context (I'd add text, like a very short error string).

I agree with you (and disagree with my old self) that it is OK to use this area to indicate things other than identity/security issues. However, I think I did make a good point in 2010 that "reload" is a common response to page load errors, so I think that it still makes sense to draw the user's attention toward the "reload" button.