How do I link to external sites using Buttons?

For any external link ensure the absolute URL is correctly entered for the Button:

Including the domain name ensures the full pathway is given and will successfully be followed when the Button is clicked.

For any internal Intranet link, the relative URL can be used instead, as the Intranet does not need the domain name to understand where to send the user when the Button is clicked.

This also means if your site's domain name changes, the Button links will not break.

How can I best optimise Buttons on a page?

Buttons can be displayed individually or in sets, so this really allows for customisation on the page.

Commonly we see large button sets made up of over 6 Buttons, which can seem useful at first but this could impact how long it takes a user to find what they are looking for, which is counter-productive.

With Buttons, we want to speed up the time taken to get users to certain content by making it available to them directly on a page in all relevant areas. 

What works well for users is to split up buttons across the page, and utilise the different design options depending on what the button is for e.g. image vs title vs image and title.

These Google Drive and Slack buttons use the image only, as by the logo the user knows what these Buttons are for and where they will lead

The larger Button set below has images and the title showing so the user knows where they will end up when they click.

The sizing and orientation of the Buttons in a horizontal strip (rather than the large square seen above) guides the user's eye and aids identification.

Help! I have too many Buttons to display at once!

If you think you have too many Buttons on one page, consider if the content behind each could be offered to your users in a different way e.g. Menu items, News articles, announcements etc to cut down on Buttons needed in one place.

Diversifying content is a great way to ensure continued engagement of the Intranet.