What is 3 click navigation rule ? A myth or a Fact?
The 3-click rule is a widely held belief in web design that users should be able to find any information on a website within three clicks of the homepage. However, there is no evidence to support this rule, and it is now widely considered to be a myth.
The origin of the 3-click rule is unclear, but it is thought to have been popularized by Jakob Nielsen, a usability expert. In the early 1990s, Nielsen conducted a study that found that users were more likely to find the information they were looking for on a website if they could reach it in three clicks or less. However, Nielsen himself has since said that the 3-click rule is not a hard and fast rule, and that it is more important to focus on the overall usability of a website.
How to create a 3 click navigation website ?
Find the flowchart attached below of a user navigating a website :
There are several reasons why the 3-click rule is not a good rule of thumb for web design. First, the web has changed dramatically since the early 1990s. Websites are now much more complex and contain more information. Second, users have become more sophisticated and are now used to navigating complex websites. Third, different types of websites have different needs. For example, an e-commerce website may need to have a deeper navigation structure than a news website.
A better approach to web design is to focus on the user experience (UX) and make it easy for users to find the information they are looking for, regardless of how many clicks it takes. Here are some tips for designing a user-friendly navigation system:
Here are some examples of websites that do not follow the 3-click rule, but are still well-designed and easy to use:
- Google: Google’s homepage has a very simple navigation system, with just a few links. However, users can reach any page on the website by typing a keyword into the search bar.
- Amazon: Amazon’s navigation system is more complex, but it is still easy to use. Users can browse products by category, brand, or price. They can also use the search bar to find specific products.
- Wikipedia: Wikipedia has a very deep navigation structure, with millions of pages. However, users can find the information they are looking for by browsing categories, using the search bar, or following links from other Wikipedia pages.
Find the table below that shows the stats in regards to how many clicks usually these websites take to provide any information to their user :
In conclusion, the 3-click rule is a myth. It is more important to focus on the overall user experience and make it easy for users to find the information they are looking for, regardless of how many clicks it takes.
Contact Master Creationz for designing a user friendly website today .