I don’t buy in the theory of never taking more than a specified number of clicks ( 3 or 4) to get to any page in the app.
First of all, why do you think that this theory is plausible at all? Because someone said it to you or maybe you read about it in a famous UX book?
There is a concept in our society called – Absolutism. In absolutism, people take every idea as a solid fact. For example, if people read an article by NNG (Norman Nielsen Group) or by any other famous UX influencer, they will take it as an absolute fact.
And THIS IS A PROBLEM because a theory is not a fact.
You have to THINK like a scientist. Every scientist knows that EVERY single theory, either if it’s from chemistry, mathematics, physics, or user experience, it doesn’t matter, is ONLY correct under certain conditions and circumstances.
If the conditions or the circumstances CHANGE – the theory DOES NOT APPLY!
You always have to make sure the conditions are right.
Secondly, going back to our usability concept. I think the answer lies deeper in the cognitive processes and subconscious principles of the human brain.
In pursuit of fewer clicks, products have become overloaded with information on any single screen. Basically, you’re increasing users’ cognitive load, and you’re taking them away from their task constantly, cognitively, and physically. It’s distracting!
For people to use your website, they first have to be motivated. And motivation evokes behavior. When something appears to be easier-to-use, it’s more motivating for a person, because your brain is a lazy piece of meat and it constantly searches for easy ways to process information.
When you expose people to a large number of elements on the screen to make them do fewer clicks, you ingrain a complexity into the customer’s mind.
When something looks complicated, it’s demotivating.
Since we already know that motivation evokes behavior, demotivating experiences result in low user engagement and revenue loss for a company.
Source: 30K Strategy
