One of the many reasons that we encourage law firms to use WordPress for their websites is its extensive plugin library. The plugin library gives you access to many features that most lawyers would not be able to implement without hiring a professional web developer. One of these great features is the modal dialog box.
Using modal dialog boxes, like lightbox, can be a great way to draw the user’s attention to a particular aspect of your site such as a consultation form or video. This Massachusetts bankruptcy lawyer site uses this technique:
As you can see, the lightbox draws the user’s attention to the video and contains a call to action.
The Avvo profile for this MA bankruptcy lawyer also contains lightboxed video.
When used appropriately, modal dialog boxes enhance the user’s experience on your site. However, improper use can hurt the experience. As usability expert Jakob Nielsen states:
“A lightbox is a blunt instrument that hits users over the head and causes them to stop everything they’re doing. Don’t use them for low-priority items or background information. Talk about modal dialog boxes. A lightbox takes that concept to the extreme. (Even though it’s theoretically possible to enable interaction with the dimmed parts of the screen, in practice this just isn’t done because something that’s dimmed should be inactive.) Users often have to refer to information on the background display to resolve the situation in the foreground dialog box. If the background is dimmed too much, such information can be hard to read.”
In the end, lightboxes should be used judiciously where they enhance the user’s experience.
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