WHITE PAPERS AND ARTICLES

CLOSING POPUP WINDOWS - OR, THE USER REBELLION
Written by Charles McGrath

Executive Summary
Popup windows, the omnipresent advertising vehicle, have become victims of their success. Users, frustrated by the number of windows cluttering their screens, are finding ways to make popups go away — which means that popup windows are no longer a reliable way to deliver content.

The search for context
The power of the Web — indeed, the reason for the name — lies in its ability to link information in a web of relationships. Product information can be linked from an application page. Safety information can be linked from a product page. Entire pages can be built that do nothing other than provide access to, and context for, dispersed information. Web browser developers are always looking for ways to improve the process, and convince you to upgrade. The first innovation was frames, which came, briefly took over the Web, and then, for many reasons, virtually disappeared. Popup windows, the next attempt to provide context and demonstrate relationships within a single page, have been far more successful. It seems paradoxical, then, that their very success seems to be leading to their demise.

Why businesses use popups
Popup windows (popups) are windows that are opened from a main window. They can be full-screen, or fixed at the size of an index card. They can be launched by clicking on a link, or opened automatically when a page loads. But whatever the mechanism, it is impossible to surf the web without running across dozens of them.

Popups became popular for three reasons. First, site developers appreciate the ability to provide richer information without forcing the user to leave the main page. Educators use this feature to offer glossary features in lectures. Businesses use it to show close-up photos of product features, or to provide maps and other supporting information. And online magazines use popups to gather survey information while still leaving the main page visible.

Second, popups are used to create "sticky" sites, that is, to keep users on the site while simultaneously sending them somewhere else. An entertainment site, for example, might want to link to Miramax's web site from a movie review. If the link jumps to the movie site using the same window, there is the chance that the user will not go back to the review page. If the link opens a new window, however, when the user is done with the movie site and closes that window, the original review is still there on the screen.

Lastly, popups are used for advertisements. Again, some are launched from a user click, such as a window that appears when the user clicks on a banner ad. Others, like the plugs for GeoCities and X-10 cameras that are cluttering screens all around the world, launch automatically every time you visit a certain page.

Add up all these uses, and the Web seems to be built more of secondary popup pages than main pages. Indeed, to users it can seem as though their surfing is no longer under their control. Inevitably, in such a user-driven environment, there has been a backlash.

Popups must die...
Try searching for the above phrase in a search engine to see the widespread reaction to popup windows. Frustrated mainly by the omnipresent advertisements, web users are complaining loudly about popups. But ads, while certainly drawing the most ire, are not the only issue.

From a usability standpoint, popups can be confusing. Users, notably novice users, are confused by the new windows, especially when the new windows are the same size and in the same position as the old one. As far as the user is concerned, this is the same window, with one key distinction — the back button no longer works. And since users are not aware that the old window is still present, they often quit without seeing the original page again. In other words, in their effort to keep users, not only do some sites lose them, they confuse them, too.

...and why they will
The original use for popup windows, to provide supporting information within the context of the main page, is still valid, and valuable. Unfortunately, users are not making a distinction between "good" popups and "bad" popups. To the average web user, popups are uniformly bad. And the users are doing something about it.

Another quick search will find dozens of software utilities designed to kill popups. Some are sophisticated enough that they can close a popup window before it actually opens on the screen, without any notice to the user. To the user, the site just looks broken. And the latest browser versions all offer, buried within their preferences, an option to turn off most popup windows.

The question, of course, is how prevalent these utilities are, and by extension how many users will never see popups. Evidence so far is anecdotal, but mainstream media, such as the Wall Street Journal, have devoted columns to popup window eradication. These utilities are no longer limited to the tech community, and the general web audience seems enthusiastic about installing them.

Popping like bubbles
Popup windows on the Web aren't going away. They're too easy to implement, and many users will still be able to see them. But any business relying on its users seeing information in a popup window would be well advised to find another way to display the content. Taking into account the user confusion and frustration that popups cause, and adding in the fact that a growing number of users won't see the information at all, it would seem a good idea to leave popups to the advertisers.

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