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chickenMy friend Erika put it best:"It's all about setting expectations. If the box had been labeled 'Deep fried chicken wings and heads' no one would have been upset." Chicken head found in wing box 11/30/2000 03:26:16 PM | link
feeling skepticaljust tripped over this excellent article, The Skeptical Internet User Does Not Search. Although I don't love the name, I have definitely observed this type of user many times.If I was channeling this user, I'd say "The internet is a hassle to use, and though there is good stuff out there, but most of the time it's just to hard to locate. I've found a few sites that really meet most of my needs (usually my brother sends them to me. search engines suck.). They find their favorite sites through recommendations of friends and family. They are loyal out of laziness, and any big redesign could sever that loyalty. They believe in the promise of the net, but they are only too aware of the reality. Which is a few treasures tucked in a mountain of trash.
11/26/2000 09:11:47 AM | link
people don't read on the webDang I'm tired of reading that statement. Why would anyone with a lick of sense say anything so generalized and unlikely to be true as "users don't read"?because the statement "people read sometimes, and don't other times." just isn't sexy? What I've seen in the slew of user tests I've been involved in is that people do read content, though they find it tiring and have a tendency to not complete a story/article. Jakob Nielsen's 1997 alertbox on how people read on the web is still on the money. People do read instructions when they don't know what to do. However, if they think they understand the interface, they do *not* read the instructions, which can cause serious problems if they are wrong. Most people do not want to RTFM. They read when they have someting at stake, like when shopping or registering for a service. The fine print suddenly makes for compelling reading. And of course, the statement "people don't read" is mostly false because there are no "people" as there is no all encompassing "user." Instead there are many individual people. Some people read, some don't, some vary wildly in their reading habits. So the most important thing to think about is "who are my people?" Then you can ask the key question: not "do they read?", but rather, "how do they read?"
11/24/2000 10:56:37 AM | link
you sure got a pretty mouthon the other end of the scale from the milk.com design, www.usabilitysucks.com greets visitors with a cheery "Get the flash plugin or go away"I'm both charmed and disappointed with this site. It's quite lovely, however it is only a collection of links. It might have been more compelling as an actual home for content: for beautiful unusable web expiraments.
11/22/2000 02:52:41 PM | link got milk?Oh what a sitelate december back in '94 no one knew what graphics were for Oh, I remember what a site.... man this is old school. I'm thinking he hasn't updated his look since '94. and it does my heart good. 11/22/2000 02:21:23 PM | link
CUBISTS LAUNCH UNNAVIGABLE WEB SITEMadrid, Spain — The International Society of Cubists officially launched its Web site today, a brilliant rejection of natural form and perspective that metaphysically establishes the implication of movement, analytically redefines spatial relationships, and is an absolute bitch to navigate. More... 11/15/2000 11:58:01 AM | link
foraging for dataNew Scientist: Surf like a Bushman11/13/2000 09:56:50 AM | link
Punch holes cause confusion. They should be blue.Nielsen for 2004 be sure to cast your vote....11/11/2000 08:52:28 AM | link
from Kevin Montgomery"Dear Elegant Hacker - Jeff Janson's redesign of the Florida ballot would have eliminated almost - Kevin" 11/10/2000 06:48:49 AM | link
usability bug chooses next president?Another great analysis from Salon. Interface bug tips electoral college!And another in-depth one from blogger Dan Bricklin Ballot Usability in Florida A great analysis of the typical erorrs caused by the ballot at fury "That's textbook ready" as my desk-neighbor says. Jakob of course, puts in his two cents in his spotlight. A lot of the best analysis of this situation is coming from bloggers, which is an interesting phenomenon in itself.... 11/9/2000 02:43:29 PM | link bad UI and politicsIt's a story Tufte would love: due to a badly designed ballot, voters in Palm Beach Claim they accidentally voted for the wrong man, and are suing the government for a revote.The ballot is definitely confusing, with the correct hole to punch being the third, despite the fact that democrats are listed second. The other piece of evidence is the remarkably large turnout for Buchanan (the beneficiary of the error) in palm beach, which has been described thusly "one report has it filled with elderly Jewish Democrats, another, with jet-setters and blacks, with the black precincts furnishing Pat's votes. Take your pick, but none of these groups are Pat voters"1
In depth more news as it breaks 11/9/2000 05:17:53 AM | link
design bites backAdobe Web Center - Gallery - Valerie Caseyq: "So is there no place for the Jakob Nielsens of the world?" a: "I think that usability is dead. That's really extreme to say, but I don't think my users are dumb." 11/8/2000 01:08:27 PM | link bad interface elects wrong man?Well, we'll see...Despite recount, Bush cautiously claims victory - November 8, 2000 11/8/2000 12:40:55 PM | link
those peoplegood to remember those dang designers have a lot to teach us wacky IA's.From the lost island of Vivid: My Thoughts 11/7/2000 11:40:14 AM | link
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