11 New windows increase confusion

I don’t really see how opening a new window helps them. It keeps them on your site, but it gets people confused. There are 2 windows to deal with, erasing tabs and making it hard to navigate between the two. If you’re concerned about people not knowing when they leave the site, use the little exit site icon found on a few websites, such as http://www.dithered.com/

posted at 02:22 pm on March 19, 2004 by Radley Smith

12 Pop-up Windows: domain of the Flashers

One consistent use I have for pop-up windows is viewing Flash, video, or multimedia presentations. This is useful because, when you open a new window, the user understands that “this new thing is different and unique” and it’s not necessary to build the parent sites’ branding elements around it to ensure consistency.

When the user is done, hey, just hit the close box/link and you’re good. This is only one use case that is logical and users appreciate – another might be a larger view of a thumbnail image, for example.

Users don’t inherently hate pop-ups. Its misapplication and pop-up ads are what users hate.

posted at 02:37 pm on March 19, 2004 by Wazungu

13 Responses

“But web apps have other behaviors and requirements.”

I can’t agree/disagree here because I am unsure of how a web-app differs from a regular page with an html form.

“If, for whatever reason, you’re going to use pop-ups, do them right.”

Agreed, although I have yet to find a situation (other than being forced by superiors) where using pop-ups is a good solution.

“But try and convince marketing folks”

Point taken.

posted at 02:38 pm on March 19, 2004 by Eric

14 Web-Apps are different.

Web applications have different UI requirements than other type of web sites. In a business environment where people are trying to accomplish certain tasks, like entering data or web training. Also universities running online courses. Web browsers are a fairly difficulty medium for data entry and pop-ups can be a good aid in complex data activities.

This is not about being forced by superiors. Its about creating a usable environment. Do your desktop apps run in only one window? There is more to the internet than just reading and buying stuff.

posted at 02:56 pm on March 19, 2004 by gc

15 Web apps *are* different!

This article isn’t telling you to load external links from your blog in a new window. It isn’t telling you to load blog comments in a new window. I agree that those practices can be annoying.

This article is for the many professional ALA readers who build ecommerce sites and web apps.

Here’s an example. I’m buying concert tickets. Or airplane tickets. There are terms and conditions associated with the sale. Before I can complete my purchase, I have to check a box that says I’ve read, and agree to, the terms and conditions.

“Terms and conditions” is linked.

I expect those terms and conditions to load in a popup window.

If they don’t, I’ll be afraid that my data has been lost.

This fear is based on 10,246 experiences on incompetently-developed ecommerce sites, where loading new data in the same window causes all my existing data to be lost.

If the terms and conditions load in a new window that assumes focus, I know that my data (including credit card and other sensitive info) is still intact.

When I’m finished reading the terms and conditions, I close the window, check the box, and conclude my purchase.

This is just a very simple example of a case where a popup is not only okay but actually preferable.

This article tells how to ensure that popups are accessible when you really, truly, absolutely need to create popups.

That’s all it’s about and it does the job well.

posted at 03:57 pm on March 19, 2004 by apartness

16 Re: Web apps *are* different!

“I expect those terms and conditions to load in a popup window.”

But you have no way of knowing whether they will or not in a consistent way. You can always “open link in a new window” and know what will happen. If you had 10,246 experiences of losing your data wouldn’t you start to open inks in a new window by hand? That’s the only wat to keep it consistent.

posted at 04:08 pm on March 19, 2004 by Eric

17 Pop-ups are my friend

I own and operate an e-commerce website, http://www.furnitureshed.com, and on we use pop-ups to display cloth swatches for our many different cushion colors for our furniture. The pop-up window is activated as a link by the user and is invaluable since it allows the user to stay on the item page while still picking a color for their cushion.

Another example: At Ticketmaster I don’t want to leave the page I’m at just to see an arena seating chart. A pop-up is perfect.

Used wisely, pop-up windows can be extremely helpful and easy to use. Thanks to Caio for writing this article.

posted at 04:26 pm on March 19, 2004 by Brad Bice

18 Re: Web apps *are* different!

Eric,

I hardly ever implement popups in my designs. When browsing, I do open new windows (actually tabs) manually. I’m also considering fully disabling the ability of pages to automatically open new windows. But that’s just me. You and I, and most ALA readers, we’re power users, we have greater knowledge of the browser features and use it to our benefit.

Most web users won’t bother manually opening a link in a new window. Many don’t even know they have control over where stuff opens. Because we are developers and work with this stuff, we know that a whole lot can go wrong. But ordinary users expect things to just work.

One of my first motivations on writing this article was having somewhere to direct the designers of sites I visited where I ctrl+clicked a link only to find a [removed]something in the new location bar. (The second usability issue I mention in the article)

Your question about consistency, about not knowing whether or not the link will open on a new window, is a separate design issue. A “new window” icon as some sites use would do. Even a simple “(this link will open on a new window)” text warning would solve in the “Terms and conditions” case.

posted at 04:40 pm on March 19, 2004 by Caio Chassot

19 "Open Link in New Window"

How many average users do you know who will right-click on a link to open it in a new window? In the user testing I’ve seen, only savy power users were even aware of this option.

When users feel lost, they either hit the back button or close the browser altogether and start all over. The chances of them coming back to a site that mislead them are very slim then. Used properly, popups can enhance the user experience just as much as improper use can impede it.

posted at 04:45 pm on March 19, 2004 by Michael

20 Re: I wouldn't use this...

Radley,

I have no opposition to you using another script, but if you want to use mine with the simplicity of just adding a class to the elements, you can use the code given at the article:

mlisten(‘click’, getElementsByClass(‘popup’,‘a’), event_popup);

If you add that by default to your script, every link with a class “popup” would pop up.

Regarding the script you suggested, it “takes over” window.onload, so if you needed to add different things to onload, they’d conflict. It’s safer to use an event listener.

posted at 04:48 pm on March 19, 2004 by Caio Chassot