client area
Open Links in a New Window?
Why not Open Links in a New Window? Here are the top 5 reasons why attitudes about this are changing:
• Ad blocking software – we’ve recently discovered that some ad detection software will block a new window from opening if a user clicks a link.
• Unless you warn them, Web users are likely to expect the new page to load in the current window. Unexpected surprises can be fun, but not when you’re browsing the Web.
• The act of opening a new browser window resets the back button in that window. The back button is the second most used navigation function (after hyperlinks, source: useit.com), so resetting it is a big no-no.
• To open a new browser window can disorient very novice Web users and the visually impaired. They might not realize that a new window has opened and might struggle to switch between windows.
• Opening a new browser window disrespects the desires of your users. If they want a new window, they’ll ask for one. Browsers are starting to offer some easy options, like a right-click of the mouse to open in a new tab. Don’t force a new window upon users unless there’s a very good reason to do so.
• New browser windows can make an already cluttered taskbar even more difficult to use. We’ve all spent ages hunting through the taskbar in search of the window we want. Don’t make this process even harder by increasing the number of windows the user has open.
For more information visit these two sites: http://www.useit.com/alertbox/990530.html and http://www.demystifyingusability.com/2005/07/the_politics_of.html or do a little research on Google.
