[Sigia-l] Usability of launching new browser window?

[Jay Linden]

m o r r y wrote:
> 
> Not necessarily so in our experience. We actually saw uses who expected the
> window to open in a new browser and were frustrated so we moved to
> accomodate the prevailing opinion by users. Granted we didn't always see
> this but sometimes we do. It all depends on the users.  We also found that
> many users had no clue about the option click, right mose click etc. on the
> mouse.

The usage has more to do with it than the user.

The more likely the user is to require the initial page again during the
session, the more useful it is to launch new pages in a different
window.

User expectations and other considerations aside, there's a strong
correlation based on the above statement.

In fact, this rule-of-thumb applies even when a page has some links that
are for pages where the user will likely come back and other links that
are for pages where the user will likely not come back.  You can open
the former in a new window and the latter in the current window.

You can ameliorate almost all of the other issues by simply launching
the new window at a different size, so the user recognizes the page as
being in a new window.  Of course, any other means of telling the users
when a link opens a new window will also help.

The consideration of users not liking to use the "back" button is a bit
of a red herring: it doesn't argue in favour of or against a new browser
window.  People dislike using the browser's "back" button because more
often than not, it means they have failed at their goal and must re-try.

What users are accustomed to is also a lesser consideration.  If the
site helps the users accomplish their goals efficiently they will get
accustomed to it -- because they will come back.

> >
> > By FORCING a link to open in a new window, you are goign against what the
> > user expects to happen, and this is a bad thing.  Being consistent with
> > the rest of the web is an important component of usability, as is leaving
> > the USER in control instead of the DESIGNER telling the user what he or
> > she really wants.


-- 
Jay Linden                                               Toronto, Canada
e-business Advisor, IBM Global Services                 jeigh at rogers.com
These onions are MINE and not those of my EMPLOYER.
Wait, that should be OPINIONS. I have no idea whose onions these are.