Always-Visible Tools mini

Also known as: Always-Visible Controls, Visible Tools
Tags: actions, contextual tools

Contextual Tools, like Always-Visible Tools, allow user to interact directly with the content. Like the name says, Always-Visible Tools are always visible instead of hiding them until the user needs them (see Hover-Reveal Tools).

As the tools are always shown, they are easy to find. On the contrary, they add visual noise to the user interface. Always-Visible tools should be used when discoverability of the tools is important. When the tools contain secondary, less important actions, consider using Hover-Reveal Tools instead.

Interact with updates

Tools (Comment, Like, Share) below each story on Facebook news feed are always visible and thus easy to spot.

Sources

This pattern is inspired by “Always Visible Tools” from “Designing Web Interfaces“.

Useful Links

Code Examples

Where Is It Used? (3 examples)

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