55 Trillion Hyperlinks Have Inherent Value
MikeMike’s comment on Don’t Be Afraid of the Big Bad Link made me step back a little. I do have a tendency to write in the negative – don’t do this, avoid doing that. So, instead I’ll discuss the inherent value of hyperlinks. This value, I’d suggest, is something that graphic designers working on the web should appreciate (rather than ignore or trivialise). Links are what make the World Wide Web the creature it is today.
- Links connect the dots – 55 trillion links are the synapses of the Web
- Links should contain some semantic meaning about their destination
- Links provide the backbone of websites as navigation hierarchies
- Links contribute to search engine optimisation
- Links provide trigger words that draw users to action
- Links can show states such as hover, visited and active (context)
- Links contribute to the scent of information on the page
- Links are signposts – where we are, have been and can follow
My point is that graphic designers moving to web design should appreciate that links are more value than a simple phrase of text on a page. They are at the crux of the issue of print vs web. After all, what poster do you see out there with hyperlinks? Interface (and interaction) design is completely removed from print design to a great part because of that ability for users to interact directly in the web environment. So, readers, that was a short lists of positive things attributable to links in our design work. Our mission, therefore, should really be to enhance those positives rather than detract from them.
