We are attracted to list. It gives us a heads up on what to expect. It provides snippets of information we all crave. It breaks down information into digestible bits we can chew.
This is why magazines cover are stamped with “15 ways to lose fat fast”, “8 getaway places you are not aware of” and “top 5 apps you need to have this Christmas”.
It’s a simple logic, but it works. Break it down and we get something like insert [no. of ways] to [what’s your benefit]. Straight to the chase and attention-grabbing. Lists are fine, but there comes a day when you realize just about everyone is filling up their content with list…and more list.
The only thing that is worse reading through the relentless pile of list is the mindless clicking required to navigate through them. If there’s a post on amazing tattoos inspired by children’s books, and I’m expected to click them 30 times to get to the end of the list, it makes for a very frustrating experience. And a totally unnecessary way to wind up the reader.
Luckily, the above site offers a way to click to display all the list in a single page. I would have left if I’m forced to click through all one-by-one, 30 times. Readers would heartily scroll down to read what’s in the particular page rather than clicking too many times. I have came across sites which force users to endure such tortuous actions, and this usually leaves me feeling disgusted. It’s hard to make comparison between items and you are never really sure where you are.
In terms of user experience, this pattern is surely not going to win any fan. I hope as we progress, we will have less sites giving us the endless loop of death by clicking.