Hi,

I made a quick CSS experiment to make the map for the Universal Language Selector less prominent (by hiding region labels) so that it does not compete with the search bar for user attention.

It can be tested at http://goo.gl/XhWuC

With this approach:

For users that use search (most of them), the map becomes less distracting to find the search bar (the main entry point).
For users browsing the list (the ones that need the map), a blue line provides feedback about where in the map they are, and serves as an invitation to interact. Labels appear when users hover the map.

On the other hand, de-emphasizing the map implies making it less clear that it is an interactive element. We will be including a test for our next round of tests to compare the current approach with this one to verify that new problems are not introduced. Meanwhile, feedback is welcome.

For an insight on how the current selector is used, the video we make with some of the users that tested the selector is available at http://youtu.be/ZbUhuAvyPr4

Pau

Pau Giner

Interaction Designer

Wikimedia Foundation