The curious case of the home button.
The Home button traces its existence since the origin of web.
Of course, needless to say it has worked its purpose just fine but maybe it is time to let the home button go. Now, do not get frustrated right from the start. Let’s just see some logical path to this argument first.
The Home button is also the logo.
The Home button, is the first element right after your logo. Or the opposite element, if your logo is on the right. Or the first element on the left, if your logo is on the top and center. Also in most cases the Logo and the Home button are both leading you to the index page which is the “home”.
Most websites nowadays link to their index on their Logo and sometimes I feel absurd when I click a logo to go back “home”. Most of the times I will click on the Logo to go “home”.
Removing the Home button gives your more space.
More space for other elements or just a shorter menu. I always find it enjoyable when I navigate in websites that do not clutter their menu with links upon links. I am also a fan of scrolling over pages, so I will enjoy a website that can tell me a story rather than frustrate myself trying to find my way through a labyrinth of information jargon.
There are website where you are at “home” all the time.
You know, one page websites. This is one good example where the home button becomes irrelevant. This is home, swipe to the top.
Home is where the experience begins.
Home is the place where most people will land. And right there you get to treat them to a nice (or not) experience.
Does your website follow these simple 5 steps?
- Predictability
- Action
- Comfort
- Emotion
- Simplicity
If yes, is the Home button one of these elements? Or can you do without?
Conclusion
Yes, there are arguments against. Most prominently, that based on your audience, you should really think of putting a home button. Especially if your audience is those latecomers baby boomers and so on.
Yes the Home button exists on Facebook (although have you noticed the awkward place?). Do you remember the last time you clicked it? I found out it has a home button while researching for this article (didn’t see it before).
It also still exists in Twitter and LinkedIn and I guess that this is the same reason mostly.
On the contrary there are studies that show even big companies do not use the home button anymore. And yes I know here someone is bound to think; “oh that doesn't mean they are the knowing-it-all in design”. And this is true.
However, a vast percentage of users will go to Google and search something. And if they want to navigate back to the homepage they have to click the logo. The same goes for Apple, Amazon, Techcrunch, Wired, Ebay, and a great number of websites that attract visitors from a great pool of audiences.
In some extreme occasions, if you feel the need to; for example, if your visitor is coming through a wormhole from google to another page deep in your website, you could leave him breadcrumbs to navigate back to the light…
After all, aren't we, who push the testing to the limits and find intuitive ways to change the experience for users? And in the end, aren't things changing all the time, anyways?
