[Sigia-l] "close window" links in pop-ups

[Dave Collins]

>> I wanted to get people's opinions on the use of "close
>> window" links in pop-ups to, well, close the browser
>> window. They are very common everywhere and I never really
>> stopped to think about them much. Is it necessary?
>> Shouldn't the browser's "x" button be enough? Are there
>> any studies out there about the subject?
>
>Believe it or not, there are users who don't know how to
>close a pop-up window. The redundancy of a "close window"
>link is a safety net for them. They might be inexperienced
>in general or just inexperienced on the particular platform
>they're using your site on.

(I recently read an article that strongly suggested using them, can't
recall where though.)

There is more to it than users merely not knowing how to close a window
- there's also knowing *that they can*. The problem arises when users do
not realize they are *in* a pop-up window. The pop-up may be so large as
to eclipse the main site. Users then find themselves on a page - often
with inadequate context (it's a pop-up) - and not know how they got
there, but more importantly, not know how to get back. The CLOSE button
is their savior.

Look at ogilvy.com. Look in their 'Our Work' section. They open new
full-screen windows - no close button. Imagine a user navigating this
site without knowledge of (or use of) Alt-Tab...


Dave