The 3 Click rule
 

Hi all,

I've just taken on a new project and part of the project brief is that all parts of the site must adhear to the 3-click rule (ie, the user must never have to click more than 3 times to get to the information they want).

I'm interested to know if anyone here sticks to (or tries to stick to) the 3-click rule when developing websites/applications? If so, I'd love to see some example sites I can get navigation ideas from :)

Edit: And more importantly, do you recall ever using a website that used the 3-click rule? Also, have you ever stopped browsing a website specificly because it took too many clicks to get what you needed or had poor navigation in general?

More info on the 3-click rule: Design Tip: Should You Break The "Three-Click" Rule?

Alan

It's not so much sticking to 3 clicks as it is keeping navigation very clear and concise, big pictures tend and information titles tend to help them along.

I often find myself leaving sites because I'm just clicking and clicking to get to the information. The 3 click rule is a really good tool and I think it should be used more often.

Most of the time when I'm developing a site I automatically stick to it. If you just design a clear navigational structure before you begin with designing the site it's pretty easy.

There are more sites using the 3 click rule than you would think, one great example is the ikea site.

I rather follow my on rules than the 3 click rule. My system has a lot of pages and for the simple pages, you can create your own links. As for the rest, I make it nice and clear.

As an example, don't search for the text "Download", but rather make a large, designer button. :-)

What everyone else said. Personally, I think users should be able to shortcut to any featured or popular content, but at the same time be able to search the entire site regardless of what page they're at. The search box practice is pretty common now. Sometimes I'll be browsing through a site and find that menu/content categories are poorly setup/organized.

Whatever type of project I do, before I start drawing up a design or typing code, I'll sit down and try to find similar sites to look through and study. I'll take note of things that I would have done differently or wouldn't have done in the first place, or would have added. After that, I'll build on all the elements: from what I learned from studying other peoples work, the common things most coders/designers & users agree on, my own taste and tone, and of course the almighty knowledge needed to code/design in the first place. People always tell me they want a site like this or like that, but they really don't want a carbon copy. They want something better.

It's actually a 4-click rule...

A google search of both term (3 click and 4 click) returns results for the former but not the latter.

Could be the 10-click rule for all I know - the client wants 3 clicks, 3 clicks they shall have :-D

Alan