Unwritten protocols are powerful things. For instance, I was driving home last night and I saw an ambulance in my rear view mirror coming my way, so I pulled to the side of the road to let them get past, as did all the other drivers. We knew the unwritten protocol.

The reason I mention this is because it got me thinking about a I had meeting recently with someone who wanted horizontal scrolling on their website. I have had to listen to people who want buttons in strange places.

It’s no coincidence that search engine interfaces all pretty much look the same and on most sensible websites you know that the main navigation should either be across the top or down the left hand side of the screen. It’s what people expect - it cuts out the confusion.

Some, may say it’s boring, but I prefer to not make a website like a puzzle. Ultimately, I am looking to get something from it and surely I need to make that easy for the user?

So, if you find yourself having a ‘wacky’ idea that will make your website stand out, because “they won’t expect that”, don’t be surprised if you get nothing back in return.

Further reading: Don’t Make Me Think by Steve Krug.