As part of Aalto University’s course Tutkiva muotoilija (Researcher–Designer), our team designed and ran an experiment challenging the widely cited “three-click rule” and its counterarguments. We examined how the length of task-oriented navigation affects user satisfaction on higher-education websites in the Helsinki metropolitan area.

 

Using a structured setup, we recorded click counts, task success, and self-reported experience scores as users completed navigation tasks across eight university sites. The results showed a moderate positive correlation (r = 0.57) between the number of clicks and negative user experience, indicating that even successful journeys feel worse when they require more steps—an actionable insight for simplifying web navigation.

 

In addition to contributing to carrying out the research, I was responsible for the complete layout design of the final report. I selected the color palette and typography, as well as designing

the entire layout from scratch in InDesign, ensuring a clear, visually consistent, and reader-friendly presentation of the study.

 

Course project, 2020

Tutkiva muotoilija (“Design Researcher”), Aalto ARTS

Tools used: Google Workspace, Zoom, Adobe InDesign

Other team members: Ulrika Ura, Elena Shemyak

My role:

Keywords: User experience research, Navigation usability, Research design, User data analysis, Report visual design, Layout design