Abstract
This paper concerns the ubiquitous Back button found in most Web browsers.
First, we outline why Back is an effective method for revisiting WWW
pages: a) It allows rapid return to very recently visited pages, which
comprise the majority of pages a person wishes to return to; b) People
can use it even with a naive model of the way it works; c) People usually
keep it on permanent display because it is visually compact; and d) Back
works via a simple 'click until the desired page is recognized' strategy.
Second, we investigate the behavior of Back. The typical stack-based behavior
underlying Back is problematic because some previously seen pages are not
reachable through it. To get around this problem, we offer several alternate
behaviors of the Back button, all based upon a recency model. The advantage
of recency is that all previously seen pages are now available via Back.
Because trade-offs exist, we present both problems and prospects of these
different Back behaviors in various navigational situations.
Notes
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