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Open New Windows for PDF and other Non-Web Documents (Jakob Nielsen’s Alertbox)

August 29, 2005 in Web Implementation
Short URL: http://boyink.me/s/2538

In user testing, we often observe the following behavior: When people are finished using PDF files, Word memos, PowerPoint slides, Excel spreadsheets, and similar documents, they click the window’s close box instead of the Back button. This gets them out of the document all right, but not back to the Web page from whence they started. Link >>

Wow - for once I think Uncle Jake is spot-on.  This has been my design approach for years now - same window for a web link, and a new window for a non-web link.

Why? Simple:

Users don’t view a PDF file as being the same environment as a website.

That’s why.  ;)

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  1. sparky on August 30, 2005

    Interesting.  I get irritated when another window opens and I can’t hit the back button in my browser whether it’s a PDF or not.  I don’t hit the close button.

    Then usually I have my computers set to open all new windows in another tab or pdfs in whatever PDF reader I use, not embedded in the browser.

    I’ll keep that in mind now though.  It’s good to be reminded that most people don’t browse the web like we do, thanks Mike.

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