Opening New Window Annoying?
Hi, just joined. I was wondering, Is it annoying to site visitors if links open in a new window? I'm not saying all links but some links such as links to an external site. Do you guys think that folks in general are annoyed when a link opens a new window? I for one am constantly opening new windows when surfing the net so that I can easily find my way back to the original site. On my own websites links that go to different sites open in new windows so that when people are finished they can continue browsing my site if they so choose but I was told that this kind of thing will just drive people away. What do you think?
DaveyBoy posted this at 05:03 — 28th May 2006.
They have: 453 posts
Joined: Feb 2003
I think links to external sites should always open in a new window or tab because if it doesn't :-
a) you inconvenience the user - they have to go back to get to your page again
b) they might not actually return and thus you lose the visitor
It's just generally better to keep the visitor on your page for as long as you can, so by opening external sites on a new page, they are still able to browse your site too.
Whoever told you that this practice will drive people away is wrong in my opinion.
Renegade posted this at 05:25 — 28th May 2006.
He has: 3,022 posts
Joined: Oct 2002
Personally, I hate it when sites open pages up in a new window or tab.
If I wanted the page open in a new window, I'd open it in a new window by myself.
Busy posted this at 10:27 — 28th May 2006.
He has: 6,151 posts
Joined: May 2001
I hate sites opening new windows for me. If I find a site that does that, I disable javascript and right click the links opening myself in new tabs. If the links no longer work because they are only javascript then I go elsewhere.
Opening in new windows is especially bad when your used to tabed browsing
Abhishek Reddy posted this at 11:34 — 28th May 2006.
He has: 3,348 posts
Joined: Jul 2001
You can never tell if people want to return to your site when they're done with the other sites. Perhaps they only needed the URL for the other site so they came to yours.
The point is you shouldn't pre-determine the user's choices when browsing. As a user, I find it frustrating when I am not sure exactly how a link is going to behave. So it's best that you stick with the default convention, as a designer.
Megan posted this at 14:37 — 28th May 2006.
She has: 11,421 posts
Joined: Jun 1999
There is a lot of discussion about this on blogs and stuff. The target= attribute has been depreciated which means that you're really not supposed to use it at all. I agree that it's best to let the user make the choice, but my argument is that a lot of users don't know that they have a choice. Not too long ago I had to show my mom how to make a new window, and she's been using the web for 6+ years.
In return, others have argued that if people don't know how to open new windows then they must be really shocked and disoriented when it happens to them. I don't think this is the case - opening new windows is a common web behaviour. It happens everywhere. Any web user has surely seen that happen before. Although they also know how to use the back button so if they start getting lost they always have that opion.
So, if you have an inexperienced type audience, is it still a bad idea to open links in new windows? I think the implementation of this forum is okay, becuase when you're posting links you're usually talking about what's there or needing to work back and forth between the two pages. One case where I've seen this cause a lot of problems is PDF links when the PDF opens right in the browser. So people automatically go to close the window when they're done with it. Now they have to figure out how to get back to the site again.
I think there needs to some sort of convention to indicate external links. Getting sent to another site altogether is just as disconcerning as another window poping up.
It's hard to say what I personally prefer. On forums or discussions or blogs I like links to open in new windows. I want to read the discussion, check out whatever the person was referencing, but go back with a minimum of inconvenince. If I'm surfing around for information on the web though, I like links to open in the same window.
I dont think behaviour like this would drive people away. There are many worse things you could do. Unless you were really using them a lot and bringing in a lot of links to other sites all over the place. I've also noticed people do this in navigation menus which is not good. And javascript pop-ups are generally bad. Most browsers now have pop-up blockers anyway so you'd have to keep that in mind.
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DaveyBoy posted this at 13:17 — 28th May 2006.
They have: 453 posts
Joined: Feb 2003
This forum does it btw
Roo posted this at 18:38 — 28th May 2006.
She has: 840 posts
Joined: Apr 1999
I use it sparingly sometimes when I need to include offsite links in the main nav, but I add a little 'new window' icon.
If I need to open things in a small popup window, I'll put in the icon, and (link opens in a popup window).
Roo
Roo posted this at 18:42 — 28th May 2006.
She has: 840 posts
Joined: Apr 1999
If you look at this client site of mine, you'll see that the offsite links to NOAA, and tide info is important...to make it easy for the end users to return back to his site I have those opeining in new windows.
Roo
CptAwesome posted this at 20:51 — 28th May 2006.
He has: 370 posts
Joined: Dec 2004
My personal choice is on things like Google or Digg.com giving you the choice, since I generally expect that externals will open new windows and internals will never open externals. Any page that doesn't open externals in a new window, I end up going back and right click->open in new windowing, or my least favourite thing about IE7, middle clicking opening new windows, and more annoyingly, I can't find a way to disable this "Feature".
kazimmerman posted this at 18:16 — 2nd June 2006.
He has: 698 posts
Joined: Jul 2005
The only time I have used it when I think it makes more sense is in an article I wrote at Graphic X. I was referencing to the color wheel and I linked to a website with a color wheel available. Since it is in the middle of the article, I wanted them to be able to check out the link and then finish reading the article, so it is set to open in a new window.
You can see what I'm talking about here:
http://gx-web.com/articles.php?id=13
Kurtis
StarofWars.com posted this at 00:25 — 3rd June 2006.
He has: 19 posts
Joined: May 2006
I personally don't like new windows, but tabs I don't mind. I adjusted my firefox settings so that any links that would open in a new window would open in a new tab instead.
But I agree that alot of people don't know they have the choice. I'm doing some stuff with at our school this summer, and taking an overly simplified computer class...but the teacher in that class didn't even know how to open a new window, and didn't even know what a tab is. Never heard of firefox or Opera.
technostick posted this at 16:31 — 4th June 2006.
They have: 27 posts
Joined: Sep 2005
I prefer websites automatically opening a new window, for the simple reason that I can find my way back to the original site. The fact that I can't use the back button doesn't annoy me.
antispyware posted this at 20:04 — 5th June 2006.
They have: 75 posts
Joined: Mar 2006
i prefer links to external sites opening in new windows. if i dont like them i can close them and return to previous site easily.
if it doesnt open in new window, and we visit many pages of another site and then wish to comeback to the old site, then we may have to hit the back button many times. that will surely be an inconvenience.
instead we can simply close new windows and come back to the old site.
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ablaye posted this at 02:48 — 6th June 2006.
They have: 140 posts
Joined: Apr 2006
For ads (banners and text links), it is preferable to have the link open to a new window. You don't want to your visitors to leave your website whenever they click on an ad. It also not good for your user web browsing experience if when he clicks on an ad, he has to go back and find where he was before he clicked on the ad.
Serfaksan posted this at 02:14 — 17th June 2006.
They have: 18 posts
Joined: Jun 2006
well for me is anoying to have another window open, but I think they should open certain links in tabs
JeevesBond posted this at 12:16 — 6th June 2006.
He has: 3,956 posts
Joined: Jun 2002
Absolutely agreed.
Without being too presumptuous I would say there are more people out there who know how to open a new window by themselves. Helping people that don't know how to use the Web properly is a good thing, but not when it imposes arbitrary behaviour on the rest of us.
So my vote is a definite "no" to new windows. I'll admit that the new window opening on this forum does annoy me, haven't attempted to change that behaviour because - as Megan pointed out - there are far worse things a site can do. We have a long list of more important stuff that needs to be dealt with.
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DaveyBoy posted this at 12:33 — 6th June 2006.
They have: 453 posts
Joined: Feb 2003
I vote that you don't fix it at all please
JeevesBond posted this at 13:12 — 6th June 2006.
He has: 3,956 posts
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Well, fair enough.
Maybe we'll have a poll on it when/if we have time to consider the problem!
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demonhale posted this at 02:33 — 7th June 2006.
He has: 3,278 posts
Joined: May 2005
I think having an informational campaign for those that dont know there are different options for opening a site... But use the old way that visitors are accustomed to, basically sites with IT stuff or web mastering and such attract visitors that are fairly knowledgable with window controls, so no need to make links behave in any way, they are in control. But for generic sites where major visitors come from all walks of life, then make a link that they are used to already, they are more comfortable that way...
Megan posted this at 12:44 — 7th June 2006.
She has: 11,421 posts
Joined: Jun 1999
I sort of think that browsers should offer a bit more of a tutorial for new users on things like this. They start up with a search engine or portal and never show the user how to use the product. Opera, and maybe Firefox too, have some instructions for users switching from IE but nothing on the basics.
Megan
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JeevesBond posted this at 12:19 — 8th June 2006.
He has: 3,956 posts
Joined: Jun 2002
Now that's an idea! After all AOL became so big by being "user friendly." Perhaps you should try suggesting that to Opera in a manner that might get you a job.
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bob23 posted this at 01:55 — 10th June 2006.
They have: 1 posts
Joined: Jun 2006
for a link leaving your site then I'd say us a new window but for pages on your site dont.
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