What is a popup?
A popup is a message that appears in a website and requires user action, such as entering an email address. There are two types of popups:
- Modal popups: Modal popups prevent you from interacting with other content on the website until you interact with them.
- Nonmodal popups: Nonmodal popups stay on screen until you interact with them but don't prevent you from using the rest of the website.
Acceptable uses
In some cases, modal or nonmodal popups can be helpful. If a user would miss important information, like saving upon quitting, a popup could be acceptable. Just remember, if the popup isn't crucial for the user to keep using the website, it will likely slow them down and cause frustration.
Why you should avoid popups
Popups can create major user experience issues when misused. One common misuse is prompting the user at the wrong time. Let's say a user opens your website, planning to register their child in a summer camp. If a popup showing them local events shows up right away, it can interrupt their thinking and cause frustration.
Popups often ask for feedback or input before enough information is provided. If a user is trying to visit one of your webpages and a popup appears asking for their email and thoughts on the webpage, it can be annoying. This could decrease engagement and credible feedback for your website.
Alternatives
Consider sharing your popup content in more user-friendly ways:
- Alert Banners: Use these for pressing information like an extreme weather warning.
- Contextual Placement: Show your content in a more natural context, like linking a feedback form at the bottom of a services page.
- Buttons and Quicklinks: Allow users to access information through prominent buttons or links on your site.
People will more happily interact with content that they find on their own rather than when it pops up unexpectedly.
Conclusion
At Upanup, we aim to make strides in the field of accessibility and usability by continuously educating ourselves and sharing our knowledge. Using popups correctly is an important step towards creating a user-friendly website, and one that will benefit your site visitors.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to get in touch with our team of experts.
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