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Re: Title attributes on images and links

for

From: Waltenberger, Lon (LNI)
Date: Aug 5, 2009 4:35PM

How PDFs open is a user-controlled function of Adobe Reader, the most
widely used PDF reader.

Browsers also have user-controlled defaults and options.

Jared's questioning his/our right to make decisions for users clearly
states the crux of this discussion: An apparent need to control user
behavior.

Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox at http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20040913.html
discusses the need for standards. One of my favorite quotes of his is:

"Unfortunately, much of the Web is like an anthill built by ants on LSD:
many sites don't fit into the big picture, and are too difficult to use
because they deviate from expected norms."

Another thing I try to remember is Jakob's Law of the Internet User
Experience: users spend most of their time on other websites.

It's on those other websites that users determine their expectations.
This can turn sour if we're not careful about what we do. At
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/991114.html, Nielsen discusses when bad
design can become the expected standard.

We all know it's fairly common for usability guidelines to conflict. For
example, in 2005 Nielsen altered his 1999 usability guideline about not
opening new browser windows. His Alertbox at
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/open_new_windows.html discusses support
for opening new windows for non-PC formats including PDFs.

Accomplishing his suggested method gets more complex than most will have
patience for. And we must consider that the studies were done with
intranets.

Even though we continue to hijack users' browsers by opening files in
new windows (it wasn't my decision to make), we have designed an
accessible method that alerts all users to file size, file type, and
off-site links regardless of device and capability.

We style the information to be visually different than the link text and
then include it in the link. This method provides all users with a scent
of what they need to know to make their own decisions--except for the
fact that we don't include information in links to files about opening
them in a new window.

I'm also not a fan of icons.

You can see how it works on the following pages:

http://www.lni.wa.gov/ClaimsIns/Insurance/Learn/StateFund/RelatedInfo/De
fault.asp

http://www.lni.wa.gov/ClaimsIns/Insurance/Learn/StateFund/Reports/Defaul
t.asp