MNteractive.com

When 37Signals launched Basecamp, one of the interesting interface elements they introduced was the ‘yellow fade’ technique. It was a way to highlight a change to the user interface without being obtrusive to the entire experience. A quick highlight to draw attention, then a fade out so as to get out of the way of the work at hand.

Last week, Garret at yourtotalsite.com posted a mini-article and a nice pre-packaged .js file that will do this for you. Very nice. It’s a technique I’m warming up to as I’m building more complex user-forms for back-end admin tools. With the increase use of XMLHTTPRequest, where there isn’t a need for a full reload of the page, this technique becomes increasingly useful.

Some other related links include Nick Chapman’s version of the Javascript Class and Axentric’s slick Fade Anything technique.