Amazon's Lazy Susan Rotating Display

Amazon tends to experiment from time to time with new interface elements.  Some become permanent fixtures on the Amazon page and others, well, they seem to disappear forever.  One that recently caught my eye appears under the headline "Latest from Your Favorite Authors, Including..." and is a series of covers that rotate on screen like a virtual Lazy Susan.  In my case, it shows a collection of books, including one from David Meerman Scott, who is indeed one of my favorite authors (click on the thumbnail on the left for a larger view).

I like this element for two reasons.  First, it adds depth to an otherwise flat screen.  I know it's subtle but I think this approach is a better way to leverage the available screen real estate by giving the impression of a third dimension; in this case, it allows Amazon to show more covers than they'd be able to in a purely flat area.  Second, it's always a great idea to remind customers of upcoming new books from their favorite authors.  Amazon has the sales history to offer this and since I'm not in the habit of tracking every author's upcoming pub schedule, I'm glad they do it for me.  It's a nice feature (and interface element) that I'd welcome on other Amazon screens.  Well done!

Comments

[Mike]

Joe,

I enjoy the blog - Have you seen the new Borders online site? Check out the new "Magic Shelf" feature. I like what Borders is doing and hope all the new initiatives help the bottom line.

[Joe Wikert]

Hi Mike. Thanks for the complement. I visited the new Borders site the day it went live but got frustrated waiting for it to load. I'll try to check it out again in the next day or two. Thanks for the suggestion!