Re: Another W3C strict query

> Opening links in a new window is bad for usability for two reasons:......


My site is a "woodland park" site, rather than a reference site.

I envisage users coming in and having a look around, not after specific
information, more a magazine / park walk.

I have links from there to detailed conservation sites and research papers
(from where i have picked out some information, then also said "For more
detailed information..." or just made the key text into a link. )
I've also got links to various organisations that are involved with the
Woodland Park.

So I give "my" visitors links to those places, but want to keep them in the
park-
rather like keeping the main book open, even if they pick up a reference
book from the shelf to check something.

"In the real world" I may open two books at once (or even more) - but if i'm
reading one, i wouldn;t close it just for the sake of making a check on
something in it, or looking-up a reference in another one.
That, i guess, is my "mindset", is  how i look at my external links -  and
why i thought opening other windows for the reference books, but keeping my
main book/window open is ok.

>Who benefits from the user being kept on the website?
Does this explain my thinking - and isn;t their some justification in it?!

yes, i've checked the link, i see the points (which i hadn;t considered),
but ...... i'm not quite convinced  (yet, today).
I still need a bit of convincing that i can;t keep my book open when my
visitor checks a refernce.... :-)

thanks -

h.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Andrew McFarland" <aamcf(at)aamcf.co.uk>
To: <hwg-basics(at)hwg.org>
Sent: Saturday, May 25, 2002 2:21 PM
Subject: Re: Another W3C strict query


> At 13:51 25/05/02 +0100, Hilma wrote:
> >Why is that?
> >I have all my internal links opening up within the same window; but where
i
> >have an external link, i open in a new window (via JS) - as i don;t
*really*
> >want to lose my user from my site.
>
> Opening links in a new window is bad for usability for two reasons:
>
>          It breaks the back button
>
>          The more windows you have open the more difficult it is to use
> your computer
>
> As long as you don't break the back button you don't have to worry about
> losing visitors. If they are going to come back they would be able to.
>
> See http://www.useit.com/alertbox/990530.html
>
> It is an accessibility issue because if you are blind, or suffer from poor
> mobility, changing between windows becomes very difficult.
>
> >(Ok, so he has a browser-back button, but i'd like to "keep" him in my
site,
> >even if he does feel inclined to check an external link).
>
> This is the wrong philosophy. You should be designing websites so that
> people can come in quickly, do what they want/need to do and leave. Who
> benefits from the user being kept on the website?
>
> There are always some (bill paying) clients who think their site is so
> important that users should be kept on it, but it is our responsibility as
> developers to educate them :-). Look at Google, Yahoo and Amazon. They let
> people leave their site just by clicking on a link.
>
> Andrew
>
>

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