One of the usability issues that has been coming up in a lot of testing over the past few months has been the use of anchor links - or 'in-page' links.
Usability expert Jacob Neilson feels that anchor links confuse the user as they perceive the link to take them to another webpage. However, testing has proven that if used in the correct manner anchor links can be rather useful; especially for websites with large amounts of content.
Recent testing of websites which employ anchor links have proven that if these links are labelled appropriately: 'On this page' or similar, the user no longer perceives the link to take them to another page, therefore eliminating the main downfall of anchor links.
Major benefits of incorporating anchor links for long content pages are that they:
› Provide users with a quick overview of what the page contains
› Eliminate the need for lengthy scrolling; allowing users to quickly link to required content
We have however encountered a few problems with the operation of anchor links which can cause more confusion to users than the broken navigation; especially those who are still coming to grips with internal page navigation.
The main problem encountered is when the anchor link is used the screen jumps down so that the content is flush with the top of the screen. The problem here is that users are looking in the centre of the screen and often read the content below what they were looking for.
The majority of websites stumble upon this problem without properly understanding the consequences or the simplicity of solving the problem. One solution for fixing this problem is to place the anchor target two to three lines above the actual point at which you want the user the read. This simple fix assists the user in visually understanding that they are on the same page, as they can see there is content above what they are trying to read and also addresses the eye naturally gravitating to the centre of the page. In addition placing a Back to Top link at the end of each section of content is an instant indication that you have come down the page as opposed to a new page.
Users are much more used to scrolling these days so if you only have one of two screens of content we would suggest not using these links. For heavier content based sites implementing the tip above and ensuring the Back to Top link is used after each section will be a step in the right direction.
Usability expert Jacob Neilson feels that anchor links confuse the user as they perceive the link to take them to another webpage. However, testing has proven that if used in the correct manner anchor links can be rather useful; especially for websites with large amounts of content.
Recent testing of websites which employ anchor links have proven that if these links are labelled appropriately: 'On this page' or similar, the user no longer perceives the link to take them to another page, therefore eliminating the main downfall of anchor links.
Major benefits of incorporating anchor links for long content pages are that they:
› Provide users with a quick overview of what the page contains
› Eliminate the need for lengthy scrolling; allowing users to quickly link to required content
We have however encountered a few problems with the operation of anchor links which can cause more confusion to users than the broken navigation; especially those who are still coming to grips with internal page navigation.
The main problem encountered is when the anchor link is used the screen jumps down so that the content is flush with the top of the screen. The problem here is that users are looking in the centre of the screen and often read the content below what they were looking for.
The majority of websites stumble upon this problem without properly understanding the consequences or the simplicity of solving the problem. One solution for fixing this problem is to place the anchor target two to three lines above the actual point at which you want the user the read. This simple fix assists the user in visually understanding that they are on the same page, as they can see there is content above what they are trying to read and also addresses the eye naturally gravitating to the centre of the page. In addition placing a Back to Top link at the end of each section of content is an instant indication that you have come down the page as opposed to a new page.
Users are much more used to scrolling these days so if you only have one of two screens of content we would suggest not using these links. For heavier content based sites implementing the tip above and ensuring the Back to Top link is used after each section will be a step in the right direction.
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