On a mailing list the following question was asked:
Does anyone have links to any usability studies comparing 2-column layouts (1 column with navigation + ancillary information, 1 column with content) against 3-column layouts (2 columns with navigation + ancillary information, 1 with content)?
As an independent web developer I don’t get to do usability studies for my websites. I have to rely on published studies and common sense. That’s okay: most small businesses can’t afford usability studies but they can, and should, have the best website they can afford.
The question piqued my interest so I did a quick Google search for “web design usability study two-column three-column“. The first result led me through a virtual wonderland of usability studies that provided a lot of really interesting information:
Is Multiple-Column Online Text Better? It Depends!
Large high-resolution displays can now have resolutions of over 1900 pixels, resulting in extremely long lines of text. One way to resolve the problem of very long text lines is to divide the text into multiple columns, thus decreasing the width of each individual line. Some sites even allow users to customize pages into one, two, or three columns…
Effects of Link Arrangement on Search Efficiency
Results indicate that column treatments of a large numbers of links has an effect on search time. – This statement could imply that if the designer is given no choice with regards to page depth, that no tested improvement can be made on the search time. In other words, nothing shows that arranging many links in particular formats is going to generate lower search times, so choose the best one from a design point of view.
I found this study to be particularly interesting because it determined that users were able to find links quicker when they were spread across multiple columns whereas I would have expected people to more easily scan a single vertical list.
What is the Best Layout for Multiple-Column Web Pages?
An important issue regarding the physical layout of a web page is the use of space or in this case, how the contents of a web page should be placed within the confines of a window. Web designers have dealt with this issue by using several different methods…
This study found that fluid layouts are preferred by users. Left justified layouts (fixed to the left of the window) are least preferred. None of the tested layouts caused a significant difference in usability. Unlike the previous study regarding link columns, the results of this study are exactly what I would have expected.
Where Should You Put the Links? A Comparison of Four Locations
Online newspapers and journals, as well as many other types of informational sites, are invariably confronted with the question of where to place links associated with the online document. Currently, many informational sites place associative links below (as seen with CNN.com) or on the side of the document (as seen with techreview.com), while a shrinking number of sites embed associative links within their documents, such as scientificamerican.com.
This one studied link locations. Again, no significant difference in
usability based on location of the links. Users preferred links embedded in
the content. I’m with the users and, despite the findings, disagree on the usability aspect. Embedded links appear within a context. I know what they’re about and that makes them more useful to me.
