Correct "Back" button behaviour in CRUD-like web application

Question

I'm going to simplify the scenario I'm working on.

In my CRUD-like application I have several lists of entities and an associated create-new-entity-form that I can reach clicking on a link in the related list, some thing like this:

Entity List of A --> Create new A
Entity List of B --> Create new B
Entity List of C --> Create new C

In each form I have a "back" link that redirects to the related list page.

But I have an exception in my app: a form that can be reached from several pages.

Now, I'd like to put a "back" button also in this form but I have some doubts about which back-page redirect to...

I thought about making the back-page contextual, so if I reach the form from page x, I'll go back to x and so on... but I don't know if this is a correct behaviour for it.

Any suggestion?

Answer 1

I thought about making the back-page contextual, so if I reach the form from page x, I'll go back to x ans so on... but I don't know if this is a correct behaviour for it.

That's what users expect from the back button of their browser, so it seems like correct behaviour.

The behaviour you describe in the beginning (Entity List of A --> Create new A) can also be described as 'up'; the difference becomes clear when you can reach the 'Create new A' screen from another part of the application. Then, I expect 'back' to take me back to the previous screen, but 'up' should take me to the list of A.

You can also view the form as some kind of modal (popup or full screen). Closing that modal should take me back to where I was before.