That seems to be the question for many web designers. As the years have passed buttons have come in and out of vouge. About five years ago I remember being told by the president of the company I work for that “buttons were old and outdated and my high school son even knows that links are the way modern websites navigate, buttons are for the those behind the times.”
Well, time has passed and I am still with the company and the president is not (but that is a different story for another blog), and it seems that “Web 2.0″ has brought the button back to life. Buttons and rounded corners, the Web 2.0 way.
Actually I always felt that buttons had never died off. You see, many people were Photoshopping and Fireworking their way ahead by using buttons everywhere navigation was needed. Buttons here, buttons there, buttons everywhere… hell buttons for everyone! So maybe we did have a bit of button overkill on the web that made most people run to the hills and use links for all things clicky. Taking that in to account I have decided to inform you when “to button or not to button” in my very opinionated way, so please forgive or at the very least indulge me.
Not to Button
If you want to display information to the user, as in another page of text or possibly a definition then use a link. Our good old <a href=”">link</a> tag was designed specifically for the purpose of referencing more information. Hence the “ref” in the “href”. The anchor tag is perfect for sending users to a page with more information. So when you want to give more information, even if it may be more information than they need anchor the sucker and call it a link.
To Button
Here is where you need to look back at our common Cold War vernacular. Remember the saying “the finger is on the button” or “what happens when I push this button?” Well, that is all you need to keep in your mind when you want to add something clicky. If you want something to happen when the user clicks then make it a button. Can you imagine the look on a generals face if he “pushed the button” and instead of destroying the world he ended up with another screen informing him about the beauties of electrical engineering that would guide his missile! I sure wouldn’t want to be in that “lessons learned” meeting. A button is a button is a button. If the user clicks a button it sure better do something, and it better be what the user expects (key point for another blog), not direct them to information that does not continue them down their work flow.
So there you have it, juvenile as it may read, if you want the user to do something then give them a button and if you want them to learn something give them a link.
I wonder if my old president is using buttons these days. It is a Web 2.0 world after all. Happy New Year to all and don’t take yourself too seriously.
