Unneeded links on a website

Helping user to navigate and finding out how to use a website is often a good goal in web design. However, there are some practices which aren’t good.

Aki Björklund has written about unneeded functions on websites (in Finnish). According to Björklund, the point is: Do not take over the browser’s user interface by building functions and links which already are available in the browser.

He is absolutely right. But why? Let me explain things a little.

These unneeded functions can be found on many websites. Most often used are back, print, open in new window and add bookmark links.

By offering functions which are already present in browser you are making users dependent on your functions. Users get used to these and forget that all these functions are already present in the browser. Your design assumes that users are stupid and you are making them stupid. Or maybe your design just fails by breaking if user clicks back button in the browser.

You have to trust that they can use basic functions built in browsers. If they can’t use them, they probably have difficulties understanding your navigation or content too.