Unecessary clicks

[aakerman]

I couldnt find a web category, so posting here instead.


- I have a friendly discussion with a co-worker. On our company's global homepage, there are several clicks that I perceive as being irrelevant, and that we could remove.

My thesis is that just a few irrelevant clicks for the user, where the user doesn't get any data but just have to do work - may result in that user leaving the site.

But are there any studies or research to back this up??

 

[The Boston Dangler]

yes, just a couple unnecessary clicks create a sense of frustration and i'll bail.

 

[ChunkiMunki]

depending on mood, two annoying clicks and I never go back, same with internet ads before videos...I just close the site rather than watch a 15 or 30 second ad. what a crank I am I am

 

[Red Squirrel]

I'm same way, 3 is probably the max here. I also use noscript. If the site cannot even display AT ALL without Javascript, I don't even bother. I'll enable it for specific stuff like seeing a video, but there is no reason html display should require javascript to run. Obviously there's something in there they're doing that they should not, such as fetching personal info on page load.

 

[EULA]

3-4 clicks max to find anything on a website...

 

[Nothinman]

I'll enable it for specific stuff like seeing a video, but there is no reason html display should require javascript to run. Obviously there's something in there they're doing that they should not, such as fetching personal info on page load.

No, obviously they're just trying to make the page more dynamic. It's nice when web pages have a graceful fall back in the case that someone doesn't have Javascript enabled but it's also one of the things that web developers can assume everyone has available.

 

[EULA]

double post

 

[Sam25]

3 clicks at the most...otherwise I'm out of the site.

 

[Snapster]

Originally posted by: RedSquirrel
I'm same way, 3 is probably the max here. I also use noscript. If the site cannot even display AT ALL without Javascript, I don't even bother. I'll enable it for specific stuff like seeing a video, but there is no reason html display should require javascript to run. Obviously there's something in there they're doing that they should not, such as fetching personal info on page load.

Well as long as you are happy waiting longer to view your page due to round trips to the server and do not like any functionality or dynamic elements within a website that is fine (which is pretty much most real Web 2.0 websites).

And to answer the OP, if you know what you are looking for you should be able to get there within 2 clicks otherwise 3 to navigate to almost any page within a site. Shopping carts the 3rd click should be at least add to basket.

 

[LumbergTech]

I agree with you, i mean it depends on the kind of site, but if i stumble upon a site and then i say hey that looks interesting, but then i get a sense of floating around in a big mess i just say screw it and click away..i can actually think back to the emotional state it puts me in..just pure annoyance

this isnt just limited to normal use, and i think that for some types of sites this needs to be taken into account, sometimes my patience is even more limited and i can stand even less clicks

 

[LumbergTech]

Originally posted by: ChunkiMunki
depending on mood, two annoying clicks and I never go back, same with internet ads before videos...I just close the site rather than watch a 15 or 30 second ad. what a crank I am I am

oo yes...i dont know how many times ive closed my browser while simultaneously saying "fuck this" and just going to bed..