Web page userbility gurus have long talked about what is called the "Three Click Rule." That is, no information on a site should be more than three clicks away. This rule of thumb seems like common sense. I mean, in our hurried busy lives, it seems logical that people want instant gratification, not hunting through a confusing complex of web pages. So, if you have a choice between two sites where you want to purchase something and one of them allows you do that in three clicks and the other takes 25, it seem intuitive that you would shop at the first site.
However, a site called User Interface Engineering did a study on what people actually do and found that people don't leave a site in frustration after three clicks. In fact, the number of clicks don't seem to have any relation to when a person leaves.
Obviously, people go to sites for various reasons so intentions may play a part in this. In addition, expectations may also affect how you perceive the experience.
But in the final analysis, the study says the most important thing is that you are successful in doing what you came to the site to do, regardless of how many clicks it takes. Even if true, it still makes sense to keep in mind what your customers want to do and make it as easy as possible for them to do it because if you don't someone one else will.
