Smooth Harold: Web Usability Test

Fellow Smooth Harold readers, do me a favor and let me know if you think Google numbered navigation links are useful? Do you use them for navigation? I’m trying to get a little usability feedback for a new site we’re working on.

—February 28, 2006

6 Comments

Robert Merrill

Feb 28, 2006 at 5:37 pm

They’re ok. Honestly, it’s hard to pinpoint one of those buggars. It’s nice to have, but I will be honest, I almost always click the “NEXT”.

I think it needs to be there so you can jump forward and back to specific pages and/or so you have a sense of where you are in the site.

Anonymous

Feb 28, 2006 at 5:45 pm

I use them when i know the results are wrong- like in froogle, to skip to the items that I am actually interested in.

Sara

Mar 1, 2006 at 10:30 am

Hm. I agree with Robert. I almost always click next, but I do make a point to remember the page numbers sometimes — when I know I’m looking for some specific things. It also does give a sense of location. Hm. I think it’s just one of those features that people either like or don’t like, so it probably doesn’t hurt to just use it. At least you’ll be reaching those people who do like page numbers, and the people who don’t like them probably won’t really care, as long as there’s another option to navigating the site, like the “next” button.

Mike Smullin

Mar 2, 2006 at 9:00 pm

i use them all the time.

Judd

Mar 5, 2006 at 5:23 pm

I’d be fine with links to the immediate adjacent pages, whatever they are, and then link to the last page, whatever that is.

I find that I’m either looking at the first three pages of results for a mainstream subject, or seeking the final page in those cases where my intended version of the search terms are at the far, far end of the long tail.

As it is, some results are so over-represented as to be functionally bottomless. Search for a word like “run” and you’ll never get to the end, since there are too many results and new instances are likely being added faster than you can bring them up, 10 at a time.

There’s a real life lesson to be learned there.

Maybe.

Sean

Mar 11, 2006 at 1:28 am

I don’t necessarily click on them that often, but I do use them to get a sense of how focused my search is, how much info is out there on a subject, and how much stuff I may have to go through to find what I’m looking for.

Blake Snow

writer-for-hire, content guy, bestselling author

Smooth Harold: Web Usability Test

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