Comments on: Learn to like the Back button http://www.goodusability.co.uk/2009/01/learn-to-like-the-back-button/ Wed, 28 Jul 2010 11:54:50 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: David Hamill http://www.goodusability.co.uk/2009/01/learn-to-like-the-back-button/comment-page-1/#comment-1525 David Hamill Mon, 20 Apr 2009 14:58:09 +0000 http://www.goodusability.co.uk/?p=526#comment-1525 Marcus the thing to consider here is - does your user want to come back? There are plenty of instances where opening a new tab is helpful. But your decision should be based on what your user wants and not what you want them to want. Try saying that after a few beers. Marcus the thing to consider here is – does your user want to come back? There are plenty of instances where opening a new tab is helpful. But your decision should be based on what your user wants and not what you want them to want.

Try saying that after a few beers.

]]> By: Marcus Adams http://www.goodusability.co.uk/2009/01/learn-to-like-the-back-button/comment-page-1/#comment-1524 Marcus Adams Mon, 20 Apr 2009 14:42:58 +0000 http://www.goodusability.co.uk/?p=526#comment-1524 I'm trying to win this argument right now with our sales manager. He wants to open links on our links page in a new window. He's afraid users won't find their way back to our site using the back button. It's a tough call when the current default browsing experience seems to be a tabbed one. I agree don't break the back button, but for navigating off the site, it's a tough call due to the new tabbed browser experience. I’m trying to win this argument right now with our sales manager. He wants to open links on our links page in a new window. He’s afraid users won’t find their way back to our site using the back button.

It’s a tough call when the current default browsing experience seems to be a tabbed one. I agree don’t break the back button, but for navigating off the site, it’s a tough call due to the new tabbed browser experience.

]]> By: Monday Janurary 26th Roundup | Webbyn.com http://www.goodusability.co.uk/2009/01/learn-to-like-the-back-button/comment-page-1/#comment-149 Monday Janurary 26th Roundup | Webbyn.com Tue, 03 Feb 2009 17:52:13 +0000 http://www.goodusability.co.uk/?p=526#comment-149 [...]David Hamill, who I am really starting to warm up to, has hit on one of my major usability pet peeves: breaking the back button. Nothing frustrates me more than hitting back and realizing it has taken be back to the start of [...] [...]David Hamill, who I am really starting to warm up to, has hit on one of my major usability pet peeves: breaking the back button. Nothing frustrates me more than hitting back and realizing it has taken be back to the start of [...]

]]> By: Georgia Otto http://www.goodusability.co.uk/2009/01/learn-to-like-the-back-button/comment-page-1/#comment-144 Georgia Otto Thu, 29 Jan 2009 21:06:33 +0000 http://www.goodusability.co.uk/?p=526#comment-144 Funny, I was just talking about the back button issue with a colleague the other day. I often find that from an information architecture perspective, we're eager to provide extra ways to go back even though users will probably ignore them. There's rarely reason to clutter up a design with functionality that's already covered by the browser. You touched upon the issue of AJAX and I think that's where the real problem lies. There's a world of discussion to be had here about establishing best practices for webapps. Funny, I was just talking about the back button issue with a colleague the other day. I often find that from an information architecture perspective, we’re eager to provide extra ways to go back even though users will probably ignore them. There’s rarely reason to clutter up a design with functionality that’s already covered by the browser.

You touched upon the issue of AJAX and I think that’s where the real problem lies. There’s a world of discussion to be had here about establishing best practices for webapps.

]]> By: Lorraine http://www.goodusability.co.uk/2009/01/learn-to-like-the-back-button/comment-page-1/#comment-132 Lorraine Mon, 26 Jan 2009 10:16:20 +0000 http://www.goodusability.co.uk/?p=526#comment-132 A good example of a website that has done this is www.BooHoo.com. When I visited the site for the first time I got very confused because I couldn't reverse out of the item I was looking at. At that time the site used to just break and go to an error page or do something similar. Now they have removed the option to use the browser Back altogether. It means you have to hunt around the page looking for other options and this feels unnecessary. Interesting blog :) A good example of a website that has done this is http://www.BooHoo.com. When I visited the site for the first time I got very confused because I couldn’t reverse out of the item I was looking at. At that time the site used to just break and go to an error page or do something similar. Now they have removed the option to use the browser Back altogether. It means you have to hunt around the page looking for other options and this feels unnecessary.

Interesting blog :)

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