Web Designers spent a lot of time over the years debating on how many times you can expect users to click to get what they want, without them getting frustrated.
The number of clicks to get anywhere seems useful criteria, but I think what counts is not the number of clicks but rather, how hard each click is ( the amount of thought required)
I think users don't mind a lot of clicks as long as each click is painless and they have confidence that they are on the right track. ( Three mindless clicks equal to one required thoughts )
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Top comments (10)
This is super interesting!
It makes me think about developing UX that just feels natural/intuitive, i.e. they don't have to think about it at all and the system they're using kinda slips into the background while whatever they're doing comes to the foreground.
In that way, as a developer you're creating "mindless choices" so that the user is able to more fully immerse themselves in the experience.
Think about how using your hands to do something feels so natural, you're controlling your body and don't even have to think about it, you just act. If you can create an experience that feels like an extension of someone's body or mind, then I think you've created something folks will naturally enjoy using.
Absolutely ! a seamless experience where users don't have to think twice. It's about letting them dive into the task without any interface hurdles.
Do they? (the why? question suggests they do without any further explanation if it is actual the case)
Definitely! It's like walking into a well-designed store where every step feels purposeful and guides you effortlessly to what you're looking for. It's not about the steps, but the smooth dance through them that makes the experience enjoyable.
To a limit. If you’re site is too guided, like IKEA, it will be too hard to get to the smaller things as the big items are up front. I groan anytime my wife wants to go to IKEA or use their website!
Yes, you've stumbled upon the age-old truth: Humans are lazy. 🤓
Brains like to do as little as possible and conserve energy as much as possible.
Cognitive load is a thing.
Remove it and you win. 👍🏽
When you remove unnecessary mental effort, you create a smoother experience that users find not just easy but.
I believe we should minimize the number of clicks required for a user to complete a transaction, even if the user experience (UX) flow is good.
I'm saying this because I have a case scenario where:
Case B was an improved version, and I observed a three-fold increase in conversion by simply reducing 2 clicks.
This post reminded me a bit of GOMS, KLM, and TLM. I'm not well versed in them but GOMS is sort of the broader "how and why" of User Experience, and KLM/TLM are more focused on figuring out how long a task is likely to take.
That last part was what connected for me...the idea of "easy clicks" and how we would identify them.
Dev.to is kinda a mindless choice for me because the editor is so easy to use with no clutter (even though I am tech-savvy) compared to other platforms like Substack and Hashnode.
The point is that - I just want to write my article. That's my core focus, the software needs to facilitate and help me do this. Most people have this mindset - they have a million things to do, and software shouldn't hold them back.
The more seamless your workflow is, the better. It should fade into the background and achieve the desired outcome.
"Analysis paralysis" is another issue when given too many choices - people tend to develop this weird anxiety and cannot make a decision, so they quit.
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