ftcmj (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} ftcmj) wrote,@ 2009-06-05 17:13:00 |
|
Just say "more"
Here's why in a portlet containing a list of things, the anchor text for the rest of the items in the list should be just the word "more", instead of "more whatever":
Look at the image to the right.
What's in that box? A list of things, right? Find the link that would show you more items in that list. Found it? Good.
Do you read Chinese? Probably not. (If you do, pretend the text is Devanagari or Naskh or Klingon or something.)
Did it take you more than a second to find that link, or did you even have the slightest doubt about what it means? Again, probably not.
Want to guess what "更多" means? (Hint: it means "more".)
The take-home here is: it doesn't matter what's in the anchor text if the design communicates it for you. You probably can't even read that anchor text, yet you know what it is for.
In this case, the old rules about complete sentences, adverb-object, and so on don't apply. Adding stuff to the anchor text in an attempt to be precise can only introduce confusion. The interface is effective without the words, so drop the extra words.
The anchor text doesn't matter because it's not a label. It's an affordance. It's just "the thing you click", right where you expect it. Anyone who wants to see the other items in the list, and has two neurons to rub together, is going to find that link and click it. Even if the link says just "更多" instead of being completely explicit or grammatical and saying "
If the user doesn't already understand "more what?", the problem is that the content or the context isn't clear. Adding words to the "more" link will not fix that problem, and isn't the place to try.
On the web, less is more. Just Say "more".
Here's why in a portlet containing a list of things, the anchor text for the rest of the items in the list should be just the word "more", instead of "more whatever":Look at the image to the right.
What's in that box? A list of things, right? Find the link that would show you more items in that list. Found it? Good.
Do you read Chinese? Probably not. (If you do, pretend the text is Devanagari or Naskh or Klingon or something.)
Did it take you more than a second to find that link, or did you even have the slightest doubt about what it means? Again, probably not.
Want to guess what "更多" means? (Hint: it means "more".)
The take-home here is: it doesn't matter what's in the anchor text if the design communicates it for you. You probably can't even read that anchor text, yet you know what it is for.
In this case, the old rules about complete sentences, adverb-object, and so on don't apply. Adding stuff to the anchor text in an attempt to be precise can only introduce confusion. The interface is effective without the words, so drop the extra words.
The anchor text doesn't matter because it's not a label. It's an affordance. It's just "the thing you click", right where you expect it. Anyone who wants to see the other items in the list, and has two neurons to rub together, is going to find that link and click it. Even if the link says just "更多" instead of being completely explicit or grammatical and saying "
更多的宇航员穿着口红" or whatever. (That makes my point about only introducing confusion: it still makes sense *unless* you know what the text means. So, again, minimize the text.)
If the user doesn't already understand "more what?", the problem is that the content or the context isn't clear. Adding words to the "more" link will not fix that problem, and isn't the place to try.
On the web, less is more. Just Say "more".
