Can you imagine a world without the Internet? Well, if you’re a millennial or even a gen Z, chances are that you can’t. Not anymore, at least. And neither can I. No social media, no scrolling down endlessly, no online shopping, and no funny videos or memes from our friends – it all seems just impossible.
However, a world without links would mean a world without the internet.
Links are the roots that help us access different websites. They allow the user to receive additional information or find more in-depth information on the subject they were researching. However, too much information sometimes can get overwhelming, which leads to a bad user experience. Scott Belsky believes in the “Rule of thumb for UX: More options, more problems.”, encouraging UI UX designers to create designs that are straightforward, readable, and easy to understand.
Nowadays we have endless choices. We are offered alternatives for alternatives and our choosing mechanism just gets slower and slower, and here intervenes the paradox of choice. While most of us believe that having more variants makes it easier to choose from, it is demonstrated that it does. So, offering your users too many options will trigger a slower experience, and this can be easily encountered when adding too many links to your design and even in your UI cards.
A hyperlink is a means that sends the user to another destination. Is an element that redirects your audience to a certain document, location, or another page chosen by the UI/UX designer, when someone interacts with it by clicking on the text. It is a digital reference that needs to be placed on an anchor text and cannot be missed from the design process.
As we are ruled by the internet, links appeared as a way of making online references – it just seemed the easier way. Links can be visual representations or text and we can all agree we have been using them without thinking that they can ruin our UI/UX design.
How many links are too many links? Well, imagine this situation. You are home, watching your favorite TV show from the sofa. The bell rings, so you get up and see that a door-to-door salesman is here to present you with his product. However, as you listen to the speech that is presented, you just can’t seem to stay focused and slowly drift away. Why? Because he was changing the subject and delivering unwanted information. And, this situation can happen when you add too many hyperlinks in your design.
1. Too Many Links Creates Uncertainty
Too many links in UI UX design can lead to uncertainty, and confusion and can make your users believe that they entered a phishing domain. Using generic links creates risk, it doesn’t let the user know what to expect and it puts them in a situation that triggers uneasiness. How many times have you clicked on something that you believed was redirecting you to another site, but instead, it downloaded a hefty research paper that you simply didn’t want? Links like “here”, “link”, or “this” will only make the user unsure as they lack transparency. URLs need to be counterintuitive to create an easy transition and make references that are directly linked with the topic.
2. Too Many Links Can Cause A Slower User Experience
Time is money, and when it comes to researching something online, long phrases and large chunks of text make your design seem impossible to read. We must take into consideration during the design process that links can slow our users down even more. So, try and keep them clear and try not to repeat yourself. When we are browsing, we want to find reliable information as soon as possible and opening up links that don’t get us where we want or clicking on the same links over and over again makes the user leave our design. So, keep it short and simple.
3. Too Many Links Can Mislead Our User
Adding too many links in your design can get you further away from what you are looking for. So, don’t overdo it. You don’t need to include endless lists of hyperlinks just because it seems helpful. Usually, users analyze a design in an F-pattern, and the majority of the time, users don’t even click on a hyperlink, one of the reasons being that it can take them further from what they are actually looking for. So, try and be explicit, and let the users know what they can find in the link you are attaching to your design. The F-pattern also, makes users strive for more compact text designs and texts that, from a glance, let them know what to expect from a website or app.
When it comes to using too many links this also includes filling in your UI cards with links. No one likes to get out of focus and using multiple links in one card can simply do that. When you see a card, naturally you expect to receive information regarding a topic or a certain subject. So, including multiple links in one UI card will delay user interaction and slow down the whole process. Another difficulty that multiple links create, is that they can trigger risk and uncertainty. And let’s be honest, no one wants to be redirected to shady sites.
Now that you are on board with the aspect that affects your user experience, be aware that there are certain design principles that can help you deliver the best designs available.
- Use content that matters
- Be inclusive
- Don’t overdo it
- Design for everybody
- Be precise
Links can help you create connections between subjects, adding a more in-depth perspective if needed. However, links can lead to an overwhelmed user which can lead to bad GUI when they are encountered to match, and especially when creating UI design cards. When wondering how many links in UI UX design are too many, don’t forget that less is more and you don’t need to link every aspect that you are adding to your UI UX design.
We at uinkits understand the importance of cards in great user experiences and in creating amazing UI designs. That’s why we’ve developed a Figma UI Kit with design components that include these essential dividing elements that enable you to design intuitive and user-friendly interfaces effortlessly.
“You press the button, we do the rest,” – Kodak.
Inspired by this iconic tagline from Kodak, we believe in simplifying the design process for you. Our Figma UI Kit, uinkits, is a complete design system with UI components that allows you, as a UI/UX designer, to create your products as quickly as pressing a button.
Our design system includes UI components, variables, and icons are already designed, responsive, prototyped, and ready for usability testing. All you have to do is take your UI design component needed, and you’re ready to use it in your designs!
