Marketing modals are bad for user experience

I was driving home from work the other day. A guy in front of me decided that he needed to turn, but he either got lost in the moment, or simply thought it was not necessary. He did not signal his turn. He was going pretty slowly, so there was little chance for an accident. I recalled how many times I was in similar but potentially more dangerous situations on the road when drivers were turning, or changing lanes without bothering to signal their intent. The problem is that without a definite signal, behaviour on the road is unexpected and unpredictable. And being caught by surprise on the road is unlikely a desirable thing.

And that is what happens when you just set out to read an article and all of a sudden a modal pops up. You know the ones that take over the whole window. Rude and completely unexpected.

I should be more specific here. I am talking about those that pop up as you reach for the browser URL bar. You know, when you decide that you spent enough time on this website and want to go somewhere else. And here it comes. Wait! Don’t leave! Completely unpredictable.

There must be a better way

• Don’t interrupt. This is plain rude. Sure you want your visitors to see your offering.
• Make it less surprising. Make it part of the interaction with your website.
• Use the right context.