Forum Moderators: open
Full Article Here... [uie.com]
The study article itself says that this rule has been around "nearly as long as the web itself". I know that it's one which I try to adhere to as often as possible. However, the results of the study seem to disprove this rule:
If there is a scientific basis to the Three-Click Rule, we couldn't find it in our data. Our analysis left us without any correlation between the number of times users clicked and their success in finding the content they sought.
Interestingly, the article dismisses the idea of reducing user frustration as being one of the main uses and proofs of the 3-Click rule. I was always under the impression that a user should have access to the information relevant and pertinent to them as quickly and effortlessly as possible. Thus, my Information Architecture, Navigation and User Interface has always been geared on this basis (but, obviously, not on this basis alone). However, Porter says of this:
However, these complaints aren't actually about the clicks. They are really complaints about failing to find something. When users find what they want they don't complain about number of clicks.
For me it was a very interesting article that certainly challenges a maxim that I have always held true in designing user interfaces and navigation systems: 3-Clicks at most!
I'd be interested in hearing people's thoughts and comments on this one.
[edited by: tedster at 8:12 pm (utc) on Dec. 26, 2008]
[edit reason] update the link [/edit]
Ive got to say that I have adhered to the 3 click rule fairly strictly in the past.
I would have said the patience people will have depends on their level of web knowledge - and that has been increasing over the past few years.
It also depends on what they are searching for and how many options they have.
A researcher wading through an archive is clearly not going to leave after 3 clicks. But someone surfing for cheap flights may get bored and frustrated then leave after the 3 clicks.
IMHO as the level of web-savvyness increases in the general population, the 3 click rule will become less important. But good, logical, intuitive navigation will become much more important.
Scott :)
It's when there is no clear direction that I believe the 3-click rule comes into play. If the information is on your website, but the user must click on random widgets to find it then it probably holds reasonably true - 3 clicks and they're off.
Someone looking for information will search until they find it, but someone looking for a particular DVD player will just leave for another site if he/she has not, or cannot, find the product relevant to them within (say!) 3 clicks.
I wonder if these tests are actually a fair representation of a user who is looking to make a purchase online?
Every page on the site is never more than three clicks away with most being 2 away.
Craig
Wasn't it originally intended to mean 3 clicks from your homepage?
What does that matter is Google sends them straight to the page that meets their query?
Following from this, it could be assumed that as the search engines are serving people the results they need quicker, then they are less likely to even bother with 3 clicks.
If you had 10 results served to you by Google, would you bother navigating around the rest of the site if you know at least one of those pages will give you what you are looking for?
This gives a strong case for creating relevant content rather than keyword stuffed SEO'd stuff - you might get people on the site with strong SEO skills, but the conversion rates will be terrible if what the user is finding is not what they wanted.
Scott
Wasn't it originally intended to mean 3 clicks from your homepage?
Yeah thats right Scott, I have always tried if I can to make it three clicks from all pages on the site.
Craig
I'd rather click 5 times and KNOW where I'm going than click 3 times and get their by chance.
I regularly have to battle that rule here at work where we design web apps. I always end up adding more pages/clicks into the process and a few people I work with don't like it. They always say -- "why so many clicks," or "does it have to be so many pages." My answer has always been "that's what our users like, and it works."
The first app I did this for support levels dropped by OVER 80%. Now, every app that's developed has to be reviewed by me and each time we change it more clicks are added. Each and every time support drops significantly...so much so that I am now starting to review apps for teams that are not even in our division of the company.
Due to this I think the rule should be something more like: Make sure your users can get to the information they want as easily as possible.
Depending on your users and type of site/task you could have zillion clicks, but if it works for your users that's all that matters.
I see no reasons to have more clicks, to relevant data.
Craig_F, your resoning seems sound, but have you actually done a study where your users find the information, or they are just abandoning the search task? Metrics are great if we pick the right ones.
It also goes for creative_craig's data. Are the increases because of the click count or the actual content or other usability has changed? (i.e. menus are more intuitive, location of items are where expected, etc.)
All in all, it is human nature to want to do less, to get more. Which suggest that three clicks, albeit might not be chisseled in granite, it sure helps. Just think about it... Why do we want to be on the first page of a search engine result? Because we know users do not want to click to see the second or third page as much...
[edited by: Tapolyai at 4:35 pm (utc) on April 22, 2003]
On an average site that usually works. But, there are many sites where the user needs an *complete understanding* of what they are doing, in addition to where he/she is going and where they have been.
That's where I think the 3 click rule really fails....especially with newbie users like ours. You simply can't communiate to them effectively enough in many cases without creating more clicks. When we communicate to them properly, that's when we see support drop, revenues go up, and retention increase.
If I was to follow the 3 click rule I'd be running around trying to decrease clicks simply to make the process quicker or easier. While that sounds good, I'm not after "quicker" or "easier" I'm after "most effective."
No offical study, but I can tell you that nothing else has changed on the site except for the portions I've modified. My boss gets a big kick out of waiting for support levels to drop, so each time we release my changes nothing else is allowed to change until we see some kind of effect. We've been doing this for at least 5 years now and every time support plummets on whatever it was we improved. We track support by tasks on the site, so it's very easy to see.
I'm a bit weary about applying the 3 Click Rule to apps. I may be misinterpreting your posts, but my feeling is that with applications you have a set (yet growing) user group who 'learn' your application. The principle is less rigid with applications, as the audience is not as fickle as the audience for a website. Application users are their for a reason, and will readily learn and adapt to the navigation system. Obviously, as you say, a good navigation will lend itself to a drop in support.
For web sites, IMO, the rule is inherently intertwined with navigational schemas. With a solid and will designed navigation (and Information Architecture), the 3 click rule should happen almost inherently. That is, if your IA and navigation is good, then the 3 click rule should be satisfied without you ever consciously thinking about it.
On an average site that usually works. But, there are many sites where the user needs an *complete understanding* of what they are doing, in addition to where he/she is going and where they have been.
I disagree, this is where labelling becomes very important. With a decent labelling system and a good FAQ, I believe that any user should be able to use any site. There may be exceptions with very high level, expert-knowledge sites - but even still, they should cater for people new to the area.
I'm not after "quicker" or "easier" I'm after "most effective."
I agree - but surely a good navigation and the 3-Click rule will satisfy all three?
Me too. But, that's part of the problem with this rule. Everyone knows it and they try to apply it to all situations, which just doesn't work. In general, when I refer to the rule in regards to our apps instead of "3 clicks," I look at it as "as few clicks as possible." As few clicks as possible sounds good, but just doesn't allow for proper communication in our situation.
> IMO, the rule is inherently intertwined with navigational
> schemas. the 3 click rule should happen almost
> inherently.
I agree, and this is the case with all our regular sites and even my own. I guess that's what bothers me with this rule -- I just don't think people should be focusing on clicks. The focus should be on presenting the material in the best possible manner. If that's 3 clicks or less, great! If not, don't worry about it unless your users tell you to.
> I agree - but surely a good navigation and the 3-Click
> rule will satisfy all three?
Often times, yes. But, as we said in the app world (and some other situations) it's quite a bit different and people need to realize that. I think I'd be happier if it was the 3 Click *Guideline* rather than *Rule.*
Wasn't it originally intended to mean 3 clicks from your homepage?What does that matter is Google sends them straight to the page that meets their query?
The closer your page is to the homepage, the better it will perform on Google (this is truer on competitive searches). So it seems logical to structure the web site in this manner for the SEO benefit as well.
I'd sign up for that.
We in some ways work backwards, we design the "buy page" first and then work back to the home page. As Craig_F says [I think!] reducing the number of clicks to get there is important but is only one component of the "process".
Sites differ too, we have one site that has over 1000 products, in three clicks you are in the shopping cart, in five we have your payment. On another site [selling a similar product] it is five and seven clicks, it can't be done in any less.
Imagine a site that sells standard widgets and compare it to one that sells custom made widgets, they can't be "done" in the same number of clicks.
