“Nothing should be more than three clicks away” is one of the most repeated rules in web design. It sounds sensible, and it is mostly wrong. People happily click ten times when each click is easy and clearly moves them forward. They give up after two when those two clicks are confusing.
What a step really costs#
Every step in a journey costs something, and the click itself is the cheapest part. The real costs are:
- Thinking: reading options, comparing them and deciding.
- Waiting: for a page to load, a menu to open or a form to respond.
- Doubting: wondering whether this is the right path, and whether going back will lose your progress.
- Remembering: keeping information in your head from one screen to the next.
A single step that demands a lot of thinking and doubt is far more expensive than three steps that are fast and obvious.
Spot the expensive steps#
Walk through your most important journey and, at every screen, ask four questions. Is it obvious what to do? Is it fast? Am I sure I’m on the right path? Do I have to remember anything from before? Each “no” marks an expensive step.
One expensive step
One “Choose your plan” page with twelve options, each with eight features to compare.
Two cheap steps
Two quick questions, “How many people?” and “Do you need X?”, then one recommended plan with the alternatives a click away.
The second version has more clicks and far less effort. Most people will finish it faster, and feel more confident about their choice.
When to remove a step#
- It asks for information you could work out yourself, such as the city from a ZIP code.
- It confirms something people just did, with no risk involved.
- It exists because of how your systems work, not because it helps the person.
When to add one#
Sometimes the best fix is an extra step. Splitting a crowded page into two focused ones, or asking one simple question before showing results, can make the whole journey feel lighter.
- When a page asks people to make several unrelated decisions at once.
- When a short question would filter out options people don’t care about.
- When the action can’t be undone, and a quick review prevents costly mistakes.
Make every step feel like progress#
Whatever the number of steps, people should always know where they are and that they are getting closer. Clear page titles, a visible sense of progress, and buttons that say what happens next (“Continue to delivery” rather than “Next”) all lower the cost of each click.
Try it: time yourself completing your main task, then time someone who has never seen your site. The gap between the two is where the expensive steps are.