Chapter 9. Managing Popup Windows

In the feng shui of Web design, popup windows are like the oddly shaped corner cabinet that doesn't quite fit. Some people have never liked them, calling them user-hostile and finding them personally offensive as only people with no other problems can. However, popups used to be a contender. They had their place in Web design. They were great for calling up help screens, quick definitions, extended descriptions, and other bits of useful but peripheral information that didn't seem to warrant a page of its own. Used properly, popups helped to make a navigation scheme feel more streamlined and focused.

GEEKSPEAK

A popup window is a separate, often smaller browser window that loads a predetermined page.

Then, mercenary advertisers like the people in the marketing department co-opted them and turned them into an annoyance of spam caliber. Soon you couldn't go anywhere on the Web without spawning multiple, flashing, slow-loading windows of barely relevant content that you didn't need, ask for, or want. Consequently, popups have taken an all-around credibility hit. Designers don't use them like they used to. It's uncommon to see them pulling actual service on a Web site, while the popup ads keep coming.

If you're willing to reeducate your visitors and deal with the occasional hate email, popups can still be an asset to your site. They're no less helpful for displaying peripheral content than they were at the height of their popularity. They can make an otherwise awkward design like the one in Figure 9.1 feel more intuitive, as Figure 9.2 shows.

Figure 9.1. In this design, clicking a term causes a definition page to load. Good idea, but clumsy execution. The visitor has to keep jumping back and forth, which interrupts the flow of the main text.

Figure 9.2. By loading the definitions into a popup window instead, your visitors don't have to lose their place in the main text to get the supporting content.

The trick is to use popups effectively. Here are a few guidelines:

• Keep them small. That goes for the physical size of the popup window (which you can control) and the amount of content you put in it. Don't try to cram in too much design. Large popups with lots of images and complex layouts can take too long to load, which gives your visitors every reason to assume that a blinking solicitation is on its way.

• Keep their content focused. Popups should be short and sweet. If you ramble on enough to create scrollbars in the window, you probably ought to rethink your strategy. Remember, popups work best with quick bursts of peripheral content. Larger chunks of information belong on full-fledged pages of your site.

• Don't rely on them. Since some people will never bother to look at even the most innocent, thoughtfully-designed popup, don't use popups for mission-critical content. That's the job of your main pages anyway. Popups make more sense in a supporting role; for example, quickie help pages.

• Give your visitors the control. Don't cause popups to load automatically! A popup should only open when your visitor expressly clicks a link or button. Likewise, make it easy to close the popup once it has opened.