hovercard

A hovercard is a user interface element that displays additional information about an item or user when a user hovers their cursor over a specific area or element on a webpage or application. This interactive feature is commonly used to provide context, details, or previews without requiring a click, thereby enhancing user experience and navigation efficiency.

Hovercards are widely utilized in social media platforms, contact lists, and project management tools. For example, on GitHub, hovering over a user's avatar brings up a hovercard displaying their profile summary, repositories, and activity. Similarly, in email clients, hovering over an email sender's name may reveal contact details or recent interactions.

The design of hovercards typically involves a small, popup-like window that appears adjacent to the hovered element. They often include text, images, and links to additional resources. To improve usability, developers implement features such as delayed appearance, to prevent accidental popups, and dismissal actions, to hide the hovercard when the cursor moves away.

Implementing hovercards involves a combination of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Techniques often include event listeners for mouseover and mouseout events, positioning algorithms for aligning the hovercard, and animation effects for smooth transitions.

Overall, hovercards serve as an effective way to deliver supplementary information in a non-intrusive manner, facilitating quicker access to details while keeping the interface clean and uncluttered.