The 3-click rule: myth or fact?
The 3-click rule states that any desired information should be accessible to the user in not more than three clicks.
One of the earliest references to the 3-click rule can be found in the book — Taking Your Talent to the Web by Jeffrey Zeldman, an American entrepreneur and web designer.
The theory behind the idea is that users are more likely to get frustrated & leave the site if they cannot reach the webpage in three clicks.
There is no experimental evidence provided to support the claim. Instead, it lists it as a suggestion.
💡 The suggestion existed based on how people used the internet back in 2001 when the same was true for the other 29 million websites.
Moreover, only 8% of the world’s population had internet access.
There was a simple linear route for visitors to get to the desired web page.
Type a specific search term/keyword >>> click on the link >>> wait for the web page to load >>> browse through the website and click on the desired link.
The internet was a new medium, and web design was also expensive.
➡️ The limitations in broadband bandwidth and architectural languages restricted the UX designers to a minimalistic website design.
With slower load times, it’s reasonable to believe that people would get frustrated if it took more time to reach a specific page.
That’s why the number of clicks on a website prevailed over aesthetics.
And for the companies that didn’t require excessive coding, it was cost-effective to keep things simple.
However, this common misconception impacted how we design websites with a good user experience.
To get to the relevant content with as few clicks as possible is not only misleading as a general web rule but also impossible to apply to all websites.
It would lead to a lot of backtracking and overstuffed design elements.
Recent testing shows no correlation between the number of user clicks and the success in finding the content the users sought.
📌 Studies proved that the number of clicks & usability are only related when they provide a better user experience.
What are your thoughts about the 3-click rule?
Are there any exceptions to applying this rule?
If we still want to minimize the number of clicks, how can we ensure that usability is maintained?
Comment your thoughts below!
