UX-Related Preferences and Questions Answered
How did this start? Well, years of nearly every website/app project having UX related questions. And not just questions like: what is the right way or wrong the wrong way or does it work or not. But questions about what users’ prefer, what makes more common sense, what helps save time, etc. UX that is technically deemed successful, but is there a preference on its execution.
Some of the questions are easy to answer because it’s: already been tested and documented in UX research studies; a well known UX pattern such as where the footer goes on a website; from observation in previous usability tests.
Here’s where it gets tricky…what about those pesky smaller questions that come up where a previous study may not exist and scheduling a usability study seems a bit excessive. For this reason, the idea of running a small but specific UX-related preference poll was born. The results provide quick and quantifiable data that helps to be more informed and feel good about a definitive UX recommendation. That’s the intent anyway!
Digital Artisans intends to run more of these UX-related preference polls and share the results. Do you want to be notified when results for these types of polls get published? Do you want to participate in the polls? If so, provide us your info in the form!
If you have an idea for one of those pesky UX-related preference questions, and want to get insight on it, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. Digital Artisans can help!
The first of hopefully many UX-related preference polls:
Question:
When viewing a website, you open a link that goes to a different website. Would you prefer….
A. The link takes you to the other website in a new tab/browser window (the original website is still open in the other tab)
B. The link takes you the other website in the SAME tab/browser window (if you want to go back to the original website, you need to hit the back button)
IMPORTANT: When you share your preference for A or B, think about both use cases in both using your computer AND mobile phone experiences. You can only pick one option, A or B.
Results:
A. 40 votes for new tab/browser window 🏆
B. 6 votes for same window
Mobile UX notable:
On mobile devices, both Android and IOS/iPhone had a major browser change about a year ago. Both offer the best of both worlds now. On Android and iPhones, when the user clicks on an external website link, it opens a new browser window. If you stay on that page, you can click back in the lower left corner, it takes you back to the original website page and removes the new window instance. If in the external link’s new window, you then go on to click around to multiple pages, this new window instance stays open and so does the original website as two separate windows. So on mobile, the solution is automated to match users’ preference.
iPhone browser lower bar, left arrow:
Android browser lower bar, left arrow (keep in mind look and feel does vary on lower bar style):
