Usability Views Article Details  home | timeline | recent | popular | e-reports | userati | books | about  The Web is a Human Creation (29 Sep 2004) Jakob Nielson is an opinion leader in the area of usability. However, I think he would despise the term because his recommendations are based solely on research—for example, how four people sitting in a room prefer to use a Web site, while being observed. In any case, he claims one should never open a second browser window: [T]he strategy is self-defeating since it disables the Back button which is the normal way users return to previous sites. He speaks as if this is a fact. Let’s add to the mix. The authors of The Web Style Guide: Basic Design Principles are experts in the area of Web design. With no uncertainty, they state their recommendation as fact. It is the exact opposite of Nielson’s. They state that one should always open a second browser window. Why are these noted experts so firm in their recommendations? Article URL: http://www.digital-web.com/articles/the_web_is_a_human_creation/ Read 271 more articles from Digital Web sorted by date, popularity, or title. Next Article: Your Neighborhood Network     This site is a labour of love built by Chris McEvoy