Don´t Click it is the final artwork of Alex Frank for his diploma at the university Essen-Duisburg (2005)
In 1969 Douglas Englebert invented the mouse while researching the potential of human-computer interface.
When the internet was in its beginning stage the only way we could navigate the web was through a clickable hyperlinks.
Users have learned that when a word or a phrase is underlined they could click on it and they would be taken to the next page.
With the advance of HTML and XHTML designers could do away with ugly underlines and indicate a link by creating a roll over effect which would change the color of the word or phrase when the user rolled over it with their mouse indicating a hyperlink.
Interacting with the internet was very limited, you could click on a link and you would be brought to another webpage and that was it!
The way designers now integrate clicking, roll-overs and interactivity has dramatically expanded with the introduction of Flash and to click or not to click has become a question designers need to ask themselves when designing websites.
Alex Frank created an experiment where in his entire website there are no clickable links. All interactivity is based on “roll-over” gestures.
There is a certain familiarity about “clicking“ and when I first tried to navigate the website I felt a little awkward, trying to keep my index finger off of the mouse. Of course I did eventually accidentally click.
I really like this experimental website for different reasons. First, I am intrigued with human nature and the human´s capacity to adapt to a changing environment. Second, Alex gave me a lot to think about regarding website design: When and where is it appropriate to have clickable links versus roll- overs, what is the difference in the user´s experience with the website. Is there a “feeling“ attached to clicking or rolling over? Can I as a designer make use of these differences in user experiences and feelings?
For me being able to “click“ on something to make it work gives me a certain feeling of “control“, “it“ happens when I want “it“ to happen.
Navigating through Alex´s website gave me a feeling of being lost; every time I moved my mouse to a different location the webpage would “move“ in surprising ways. Not until I had fully navigated, memorized and researched the website did I start feeling comfortable in moving my mouse around the “active“ areas to the areas I was interested in.
Alex has added snippets of information of how his idea of a click-less website came into being, the history of computers and some interactive games to help with learning to go “click-less“
All in all, this website will make a person think about click ergonomics and the importance of how we navigate our way through the internet.
If you´d like to take a look for yourself go to http://www.dontclick.it
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