Picture the familiar crawling credits screen… so predictable because we see it employed ubiquitously in the media we consume today; movies, television shows, video games, desktop applications, the list goes on. Distinguishing factors between the desktop and the web have become increasingly less apparent, but in the midst of this why don’t we see a common “Credits/About” pattern on the Web? As of this writing, no consistent examples come to mind…
Now, before you say “OMG, WTFBBQ… ANOTHER pattern!!?” Let’s look at the standard behavior of clicking on the “About X” menu item in a desktop application. It’s predictable, purpose driven and a wonderful way to encapsulate specific data. It’s so prevalent on the desktop that its expected. So, rather than an overloaded footer, I am proposing that developers and designers start standardizing the use of a Credits UI pattern in their web applications, let’s keep a good thing going and standardize!
Take for example what is done on Alex Duvan’s website. If you scroll to the bottom of the page within the footer, you can see the “Credits” link on the left. Give it a left-click and observe the pattern I am describing.
Here are some notes outlining positive support towards utilizing this pattern:
- Highlights the individuals involved.
- Showcases technologies used in a consistent, user-friendly manner.
- A cleaner area to encapsulate data (terms, version, release date, etc.)
- Giving credit where credit is due!
I’d love to hear reader thoughts on this…
