:: dg ::

hmonkey

i have a design question.

when you have a link on a website, should people expect the link to pop-up in a new window, or just take you to the url?

MrsMyrtle

I can't tell you how much I hate it when it doesn't open a new window/tab.

nicoleg1982

Ditto Myrtle

DG1

Depends on the context, for sure.

If you are on the CNN homepage and click a link to a story, I don't think anyone would expect it to open in a new tab or window.

If you are on twitter or a message board or facebook, where the link you're clicking on is secondary to your primary task (reading the message board, tweeting, catching up on people's statuses), and the user is likely to quickly return to the primary task (to comment on the link in a message board thread, for example), it's probably helpful to open in a new tab or window.

That said, people in general are woefully unable to manage windows and tabs.  I can't tell you how many times I've tested a site where a link opened in a new window and the user couldn't figure out (after *minutes* of trying) how to get "back" to the screen they were just on.

MrsMyrtle

That's amazingly pathetic. Ha!

DG1

What's pathetic?  That I know that? 

Pays the bills.

hmonkey

i think myrtle means that it's pathetic that a user cannot figure out how to manage windows and tabs.

okay, excellent, thank you.  my instructor was explaining it last night, and her drawing looked ... odd, and i couldn't figure out what she was talking about.  She was talking about a funnel.  does that mean anything to you?

MrsMyrtle

WHAT.

No, DG. It's amazingly pathetic that there are people out there who don't know how to navigate a website. THAT'S what this post was about, remember?

DG1

aaaah.  Well, it's not pathetic, really. It's just what people do/don't know about computers.  Seems foreign to me, since i spend about 60 hours/week on computers, but if a designer doesn't take it into consideration, s/he can expect the users to get frustrated and find somewhere else to shop.

The funnel is one kind of way to get to info. Start with the most general thing (CNN homepage), then continue to narrow (News /> World News > Afghanistan > etc) until you get to the grain of content you're looking for. 

Kindof old school, actually. There's way too much content for that these days - some needs to be brought up higher, some needs to be cross-referenced (the boot is black AND a high heel, so you can browse by style or color). 

Has she mentioned the "scent" of information?

hmonkey

she has not.  i suspect she won't, because i think this class is kind of shambles.

DG1

Here's an interesting stat:

 According to a 2006 US Census Bureau 
forecast, the “average” American spends only 
203 hours/year  on the internet.  
– That ’s only about 33 minutes a day

So, it's not all that surprising that they don't get the whole "new window" thing.  Adding tabs complicates matters, too, since you can have multiple browser windows, each with multiple tabs.

I'll classify this along the lines of zilla thinking that everyone should know the military words for the alphabet and that "direct" =/= "nonstop."  Seems second nature and ridiculously obvious to someone who deals with it every day, but big picture is that most people don't really need to know that stuff.

DG1

I know there's a real difference, and I happen to know what the difference is.  But I didn't for YEARS, and I don't think it's common knowledge.  Most people don't actually fly that much, and many many fliers never really have the opportunity to fly direct OR nonstop, so it's mostly a nonissue until the rare occasion when it comes up.

hmonkey

i suppose this is like me getting pissy when people want something with a lot of caffeine, and then want something with the darkest roast espresso.  NO.  the darker the roast, the less caffeine, and espresso has way less caffeine than coffee because it is hardly in contact with water.

and people get all "whatever, you know what i mean" and i want to kick them in the junk.

DG1

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_wedding-woes_dg-13?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:47Discussion:d910e3ea-0605-497c-8b61-c09265a11e7bPost:cbdb4b58-ee25-42f2-9716-6d56bbbf5695">Re: :: dg ::</a>:
[QUOTE]my intention was not to postjack, so sorry for that. my issue is that when i tell people what the difference is, they'll tell me it's my opinion that there is a difference, even after i have explained the difference. it's like i wasted my time explaining because they think i am using jargon or something. not that this has anything to do with the topic, but it's important to know i don't think people should have basic knowledge of things that are second nature to me because i'm a professional.
Posted by Wifezzilla[/QUOTE]

Aaaah.  I see.  This makes much more sense and would probably annoy me, too.