Why We [Generally] Don't Open Links in New Windows

The other day we posted a blog with links that didn’t open in a new tab (which is our standard practice). Someone contacted us about this and thus started the conversation in the office about target=_blank. We decided the conversation was blog-worthy. So here are the reasons we recommend not using new tabs and windows for links:

It’s Controlling
According to Jakob Nielson, “Opening up new browser windows is like a vacuum cleaner sales person who starts a visit by emptying an ash tray on the customer's carpet.” He basically calls it "Internet pollution," which might seem extreme but it gets the point across. Opening new windows and tabs (especially without warning) clutters the user's screen and creates an inconsistent web experience.

It's Disruptive
A link that opens in the same tab is the default. When the default is altered, so is the standard navigation. In the scenario of hyperlinks, the navigation (back button) is disrupted when a new window opens, which becomes a more confusing – and possibly irritating – user experience. It can also result in a cluttered computer screen, as mentioned above.

Users are Savvy
Internet users generally know what they’re doing. They know how to navigate pages and the goal should be to let them do this. When we open links in new browsers, we revoke a user's control. This breaks one of Ben Shneiderman’s golden rules of interface design, that experienced users “strongly desire the sense that they are in charge” of the system they are using or navigating. And if a user wants new tabs and windows, he or she will know how to make them.

“Most people know how to open your article’s outbound links in new tabs or windows,” Marco Arment, founder of Instapaper and co-founder of Tumblr, writes on his blog. "The best practice for the modern web is to let people manage their own windows and tabs."

Of course, there are exceptions to every “rule.” But we agree with Marco - it's best practice to open links in the same window or tab. Use content and design to create an experience you want users to have but don't take away their (perceived) control.