) If your company wants
people to return to its site, it??™s far better to have the links open in the same window and
let users use their Back button.
ARCHITECTURE AND NAVIGATION
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4
5. Jakob has published several prominent books, including Designing Web Usability: The Practice of
Simplicity and Prioritizing Web Usability, and continues to write on his long-time site, useit.com
(www.useit.com).
New windows are useful, however, when leaving the page will definitely interrupt a critical
experience. For instance, if a person is filling out a complicated online form, they might
want to click a small Help link to get more information about a specific field. If they click
away from the page, their work could be lost. If the Help link opens a new browser window,
it is easily referenced as a separate page.
Avoid form-based drop-downs. Using a form-based drop-down presents several usability
and accessibility problems:
The navigation choices are hidden, slowing the process of moving around a site.
Operating a drop-down requires fine motor skills; by providing large, easily targeted
buttons, people are less likely to select the wrong link.
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