(Comments added for week ending Sun 25 Aug 2002) | View Other Weeks
| last updated:09 Sep 2002 06: 29 Webword time, or 09 Sep 2002 11:29 UK time |
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| Webword Statistics - Recent Comments (Comments added for week ending Sun 25 Aug 2002) | View Other Weeks |
| OneLook | Sun 25 Aug |
| Search dictionary web sites for words and phrases. |
| Sun 25 Aug 23:46 | MadMan | Also try www.xrefer.com |
| They Keep Growing ... and Growing | Sun 25 Aug |
| The U.S. Department of Commerce... says that second-quarter 2002 retail e-commerce sales were an estimated $10.243 billion, an increase of about 24 percent from the second quarter of 2001. (MadMan comments: ...and yet Amazon cant turn a profit. From a meagre $5 million dollar profit in the quarter ending December 2001, they have plunged and have been bleeding again in the last two quarters. Have they expanded too much into too many unrelated areas? What can they do to actually make money? If the no. 1 e-commerce retailer, with billions in annual turnover, cant make a cent in profit over the course of 7 years, isnt that pathetic business management? Incidentally, their much-praised user experience hasnt saved them.) |
| Sun 25 Aug 18:19 | John S. Rhodes | MadMan, your last comment is the most important. I am definitely starting to think that a great user experience is only moderately important. HERESY!! Functionality, content, aesthetic appeal, branding, and so forth, are important. Usability folks, including me in the past, seem to think that usability solves everything. Not true. Usability is great and offers a competitive advantage, but only as a slim margin. It cannot overcome many other issues and that is why Amazon is a great web site that cannot turn a real profit. Note: I own a small bit of Amazon stock... |
| Sun 25 Aug 18:31 | MadMan | As a user experience consultant myself, I will never deny the competitive advantage of a great user experience. The problem is that a great user experience is a big asset only when other aspects of business strategy and management are sound. For instance, If SiteX and SiteY both sell books online at the same price (and same delivery time, etc.), and SiteX has great usability, then SiteX will definitely do great business. But suppose SiteX decides to drop prices by 30%, eliminating their profit margin completely, then all the usability in the world won't automagically dump cash in the bank for them. SiteY, with poorer usability, may actually survive because they make money for fuelling growth. Incidentally, I have ignored user experience for cheaper prices. There are a handful of book sites in India, but I have suffered the pathetic site design of a particular site because I found books 20% cheaper there. I was willing to make that sacrifice. E-commerce is often a price game. Does user experience make a difference? Of course it does. But not to the exclusion of all else that goes into making a business succeed. Theoretically, I could make the world's most usable calculator app for Windows and sell it for $10. But the usability won't help me because a FREE calculator app ships with Windows. Does that sound sensible? |
| Sun 25 Aug 20:43 | JB | It is funny that usability experts limit their ideas of usability to the web site itself. User experience transcends the web... Amazons glitch is the return policy. I don't know how many people have told me the biggest gripe on the web is returning things. blaaaah!. It is such negative user experience and at the end of the day, all hype aside people want the ability to go and bitch to a sales person when things are going wrong. I also want to touch and feel what I buy, play with it, push buttons etc…I just think the glory days are over and people are also over the unfulfilled promises. I shop online, but only if I can’t find the good elsewhere or if I see such a bargain that I can wait the extra time to get it. Basically, I think peoples mindsets have changed…. Higher unemployment = more time to do things. 9/11 = putting life into perspective. |
| WebWord Comment | Sun 25 Aug |
| Go check out this article on MarketingProfs.com. It asks you to register before you can read it. If that annoys you and you close your browser window, the persistent site pops up a window offering to show you the article without registering. If theyre that desperate to make you read the article, why not just do away with the darn registration process? This pop-up window also appears if you just press the Back button. Isnt that silly? |
| Sun 25 Aug 15:43 | MadMan | In case you're wondering, ol' John Rhodes hasn't abandoned this site, nor have I hacked into it. John has kindly allowed Jack, Chris, and me to post news and comments to Webword. Feedback is welcome, of course. ;) |
| Sun 25 Aug 17:48 | jonathan | Madman...I've constantly told JR about how excellent the WebWord community is and on one hand, I love the idea of more people having posting-access. On the other hand, I have usually been able to peruse WebWord.com through the course of the day and find enough links to follow up and read on (not mentioning finding the time to post comments on occassion). Would participation from you, Chris and Jack then TRIPLE the amount of daily links off the site? If so, that would change the way I use the site perhaps. That's not a complaint, though...just thinking out loud wondering how I'll be able to scan and browse so much more information throughout the day. Also...WebWord truly emanates John's personality. Will the site begin to feel schizophrenic as more personalities get the rights to post? I'm not stating an opinion either way...just wondering what you think, really... jonathan |
| Sun 25 Aug 18:08 | John S. Rhodes | MadMan, I gave it a try. How stupid! They sound like needy little children. By the way, I don't think it will work more than once. Go there again, back out, and watch as nothing happens. You only get one chance. Yawn. |
| Sun 25 Aug 18:12 | John S. Rhodes | Jonathan, I understand your concerns. One thing I will do is post less on the home page but post more comments. Also, there will be days when the other folks won't add much at all. It'll balance out I think. This is mostly an experiment but I think it will be successful. The reality is that I think it is time for WebWord to move to the next level. I think this is the right path. If I am wrong, maybe it will all go down in a ball of flame. (Probably not.) We shall see! |
| Sun 25 Aug 18:22 | MadMan | Jonathon, you have valid concerns. My response: 1) I usually post on slow news days. I used to send many links to John earlier, which usually got posted. Those links will just have their author changed. 2) I had originally suggested to John that he allow guest posting with moderation, so he could control the quality and flow of items. John, however, has decided to trust us to do the right thing. I'm sure that trust is not misplaced. 3) Webword does emanate John's personality. The Webword community, however, is a product of many personalities who post frequent comments. Those voices, and the community they create, are an integral part of Webword, I would argue. This guest posting experiment will just help in making the site bi-directional, and not just reactionary in nature. |
| Sun 25 Aug 18:42 | jonathan | No worries at all... 'concern' is probably too strong a term related to my posts...I was just more interested in noting how the community here will change as a result of additional 'Gods'. In fact, the impetus for this post probably stemmed from my jealousy at not being one of these new gods. Bastards...all of you. |
| Sun 25 Aug 19:30 | Jack Schonchin | Oh, just come out and say it. You're worried I'm going to fill WebWord with porn and monkey links. Well, this is Day 3 and I've posted only one link, _and_ it was to a site using Flash. I must have been drunk that day. The links I'll post will meet three criteria: 1) important or interesting, 2) not linked everywhere on the sites I frequent, and 3) will generate discussion. You know me. I save the porn and monkey links for private e-mails to John. |
| Sun 25 Aug 19:36 | Shane | I don't really care who posts news/ideas/links here - keep them coming. One thing I don't like is seeing comment text embedded in each post that has comments. They slow me down and make the site harder to scan. If I want to read the comments, I'll click-through and do so, thankyouverymuch. |
| www.sue-it.com | Sun 25 Aug |
| The USAILC is a successful corporate law firm preparing to specialize in another area. We expect to be at the forefront of suits featuring the invention widely known as It. (MadMan comments: The Segway isnt even available for mainstream use yet, and already this law firm is preparing to sue Dean Kamen for incidents from its use. Among the problems attributed to the Segway on their site, a particularly funny one is this: Americans already get too little exercise. The last thing Americans or any other nation for that matter needs is a device that causes laziness. Suing the manufacturer of a transportation device because it makes people fat... (sigh) only in USA) |
| Sun 25 Aug 19:16 | Kung Pao | Hey madman, go easy on the posts, will you? This is John's site. let him post once in a while |
| Private and Public | Fri 23 Aug |
| Portraits of pedestrians at Marble Arch, London. (Jack Comments: Usability is about observation. Ever sit in a public place and just watch facial expressions? Do it regularly in the same place and people will think youre creepy. Do it with a camera and maybe you get punched in the face. I wonder how this guy grabbed these photos. Nice.) |
| Fri 23 Aug 08:40 | Mac | Scores a 4.1 on the JoyIndex™ Proves that we don't all wear bowler hats over here. |
| Fri 23 Aug 08:46 | John S. Rhodes | Very crisp, very clean images. Pleasing to the eye. Yet at the same time, the people are not sexy or beautiful. It makes these images real and refreshing. |
| Fri 23 Aug 11:19 | Jack Schonchin | Come on, you people can do better than that. Tell me what my next comment about this photo gallery will be. You're observant, right? |
| Fri 23 Aug 11:48 | MadMan | I'm stunned at the quality of the photos. Can someone give me advice on how I can make my digicam pics look this good? Wow! |
| Fri 23 Aug 11:59 | Jack Schonchin | First, capture the scene with the background out-of-focus (or do quite a bit of work in Photoshop). At home, increase the contrast and saturation levels in the foreground, and possibly bump up the brightness level in the foreground. Consider doing the exact opposite with the background. All of your attention gets drawn to the object in the foreground. |
| Fri 23 Aug 12:05 | jan | Good quality images. The man featured on the main page under Spring is also in the summer section--even looks as if he's wearing the same shirt. |
| Fri 23 Aug 12:45 | Jack Schonchin | Yup, that's it. He's on the first page of Spring, and the last page of Summer. Suspicious. |
| Fri 23 Aug 18:31 | Tristan Louis | True, but the background is different (look at the trees on the background). Apart from the fact that he pops up a couple of times (could be a local? could be someone the photographer knows? ), I found this to be a beautiful collection. |
| Sun 25 Aug 15:12 | Mac | This is an example of a Flash site that works, because Flash is used as an enabler rather than a gimmick. |
| peterme, Abnormal American | Sat 24 Aug |
| See, I lead a fairly simple life. I rent an apartment. I dont own a car. I dont make extravagant purchases on a bunch of different credit cards. And because of this, the computer doesnt know what to make of me. |
| Sun 25 Aug 11:34 | Matt Round | I'm in a similar position (but in the UK) - no house/car/store cards/loans, just one debit card, one bank account. So my credit rating is probably quite poor, which is pretty silly. |
| Sun 25 Aug 15:09 | Mac | It's rather like being treated as a suspect by the police because you have never been to court and found 'not guilty' of a crime. |
| Bark twice for bear - hunting dogs get mobile phones | Sun 25 Aug |
| The fiendish Fins (who else) at Benefon have developed mobile phones for dogs, and aparently convinced at least one vertical market that theres a compelling use for them. Its part of a co-development effort with Pointer, which makes tracking devices for hunting dogs, and it combines GSM and GPS, so you know where your dog is. But um, why are you phoning it? (MadMan comments: It takes all kinds...) |
| Sun 25 Aug 13:57 | Mac | If only the deer and elk could get some phones too. |
| The Naked Face | Wed 21 Aug |
| (The New Yorker) The face is such an extraordinarily efficient instrument of communication that there must be rules that govern the way we interpret facial expressions. But what are those rules? And are they the same for everyone? |
| Wed 21 Aug 09:31 | Mac | This is what people will smell if you post your comment: I didn't read the article. When I clicked on the link I saw a screen full of text and a scroll bar that indicated there were another 20 screens of it. I then read the first paragraph and didn't get hooked. I then 'decided' not to invest the time in reading the article. A good example of why writing for the web is very different, and a dead tree online presence needs a lot more than just publishing your raw copy. |
| Wed 21 Aug 11:04 | Pedro | I tend to agree with everything that Mac said. The first thing that strikes you when a page like that appears is how much effort will be required to get through it all. Having actually gone through and read some of it I can say that there are some very interesting points within the article but they are well hidden and are unlikely to be found by most people. Many will give up without reading any of the text due to the nature of the page set-up/design while others, like Mac, will read the first few lines and wonder what the hell the thing is about and leave. Everything about the page annoys me. As with so much of the web there appears to have been little thought put into making the whole experience enjoyable for the user. Reading that article was a chore akin to cleaning the bathroom when learning from the web should be something that is enjoyed. |
| Wed 21 Aug 12:12 | John | I read enough to get through the part about the cop the author was initially talking about (a couple screens worth I suppose). Then once it started getting into theory and generalizations, I too looked at the scroll bar and bailed. JB |
| Wed 21 Aug 12:13 | John | Oh, I guess I read all of section '1'. FWIW, JB |
| Wed 21 Aug 13:05 | MadMan | Hey, we have now identified yet another bunch of initials. JB = John Bedard Found online at http://www.johnbedard.com |
| Wed 21 Aug 17:37 | Lydia | I guess I'm the only square here - I found the article instantly absorbing and greedily read the whole thing. The writer has a very casual and engaging style and I found I easily made it to the end of the article. But then, I am interested in the subject of human facial expression. I found myself making the same muscular movements as described in the article - I have no idea WHAT my co-workers must have thought! Give it another chance if you have about 20 minutes to devote to it. It was a pretty quick read because of the style, but I went back over a couple of parts that were particularly interesting. |
| Thu 22 Aug 11:38 | Simon | I found the article absolutely fascinating and will look at faces in a whole new way from now on. For those of you with attention spans longer than those of mayflies, a good introduction to facial expressions and body language is 'People Watching' by Desmond Morris. |
| Fri 23 Aug 16:00 | Lydia | Thanks, Simon! I'll have to check that out. |
| Sun 25 Aug 11:17 | Morris Cox | It would have been better if the < pre > tag had been left out so that the text would have autowrapped. Also, each section could have (and should have) been put in a seperate file. Other than that, I found it interesting reading. I tend to have a 'stone' face myself. |
| WideSource | Fri 23 Aug |
| Widesource peer to peer sharing program features a powerful search engine to find data and web pages on the Internet. |
| Sun 25 Aug 04:31 | Anonymous | Really good P2P software !!! |
| Remembrance Agent | Sat 24 Aug |
| A continuously running automated information retrieval system |
| Sat 24 Aug 16:08 | Lyle | This idea has intrigued me for a while. I'm currently using Loop Recorder to record everything that is said within the mic range of my laptop. It runs in a loop, so that I always have the last hour of everything that has been said. |
| WebWord Comment | Sun 18 Aug |
| Im looking for some help. Im working on a project that requires us to use a lot of automated email messages. For example, you enter something on a web page and then the system running behind the scenes of the web site fires off an email you you. I cant seem to find much on the usability of email, particularly automatically generated plain text email messages (e.g., like what eBay and Amazon send out). Suggestions? |
| Mon 19 Aug 00:33 | John S. Rhodes | MadMan, I can't say too much at this time. Instead, I am looking for generic references. Web pages, books, reports, and that sort of thing. I don't want to bother folks here until I do some research. I'd rather ask better questions...and I can't do that without doing some research. I can be a little more specific. (1) Imagine that you just signed up for a web site like eBay. What information should come back to you? (2) Imagine that you just posted an item on eBay. What information should come back to you? I can look at what eBay sends out now to get a clue about this, but again, I'd like some generic usability references on the topic of automated email messages. Does my request make more sense now? |
| Mon 19 Aug 05:14 | Daniel | Some guidelines: + Content relevant to my interests (provides content value) + Good and up to date content (relevant) + Clear design grid (easy to scan and read) + Consistent and readbale fonts I think www.zdnet.com do a nice job for the daily newsblasts. May be some research on sites that focus more on email marketing and how they get the best results (this may have some cross over usability research) Hope this helps. - Daniel |
| Mon 19 Aug 07:11 | si_ence | I agree with John's point that it is hard to find much research on the use of automated emails. The biggest problem with producing emails is that there are hundreds of ways of viewing an email, from command line to local email client to the web itself. This makes it pretty hard to design for. I have had some absolutely ridiculous looking emails that arrive on my work Lotus Notes email, and colleagues have the same email and see it fine, just because their set-up is slightly different. My guidelines would be: - keep it simple - plenty of white space - let the user choose between text and HTML - don't send them too often - always give an easy option to opt-out - make it as relevant and interesting as possible - don't make it look too 'automatic' (personally I delete this type of email on sight) |
| Mon 19 Aug 08:23 | John S. Rhodes | I don't think I am even going to consider using HTML email. In my mind, plain text is definitely the way to go. There have been too many battles over HTML versus plain text. HTML Versus Text: The Saga Continues HTML v's Text email etc. etc. etc. |
| Mon 19 Aug 08:32 | Mac | John, maybe you could try this. |
| Mon 19 Aug 08:48 | Daniel | Usability testing is an important element. Could create a number of email mockup designs and see what your users notice etc From vertical response - www.verticalresponse.com: 'If you're looking to increase your email campaign success there are three simple words you'll want to remember...TEST, TEST, TEST! When you 'test' a variety of variables with your customer list you'll be able to get a better understanding as to what offers have performed well and which ones have not. This is a great way for you to fine-tune your email marketing campaigns and put only the best content in front of your recipient's eyes.' |
| Mon 19 Aug 09:10 | John S. Rhodes | Mac, damn your eyes! (I use this phrase once in a while, but I am not sure where I picked it up. Is it from a movie or a song? I did a netcheck on it, but didn't find anything satisfying.) |
| Mon 19 Aug 09:20 | Daniel | Netcheck! Like it ... did a small search on google to assist but could not find anything useful. Well done Mac. |
| Mon 19 Aug 10:10 | Mac | John, 'damn your eyes' is most commonly associated with the song by Etta James, and you have used it in exactly the right context. |
| Mon 19 Aug 11:04 | Lyle Kantrovich | Ah, the power of the blog collective... I recalled blogging about this a while back. Here are my thoughts and some links on email auto-responders: Croc O' Lyle: Dead men don't read email - thoughts on usability of automated email responses I mention in that post a discussion in the SIGIA-L list. Here's my email on that thread responding to someone who was saying that canned email responses were a sign of horrible user experience: 'I'm not saying I love auto-responses or anything, but I do think they have their value. One thing they are good for is letting the user know that their feedback/request was received. This is especially important when the request is sent from a web form. If for some reason the form doesn't work, there's no 'bounce' message or anything to tell the user that the email or transmission failed. An auto-response is a small bit of 'system status' back to the user. It can also be enhanced to include additional info like a tracking number, a phone number (if it's an urgent request), etc. In some ways, this is an example of how an online system can be 'better than reality'. When you send a snail mail letter, you have no idea if or when it ever got there. Obvious possible improvements: - Let the user decide whether or not to get a confirmation. - Don't use it for frequent or trivial types of requests -- that would really create inbox clutter. - Provide an issue tracking # immediately on a confirmation screen and an on status screen where users can check status of their request. This makes it pull vs. push. Keep in mind that not all communication is of equal importance. Even hold music has its purpose...(other than to provide material for comedians)' Research, we don't need no stinking research! We have a usability guru! |
| Mon 19 Aug 11:23 | John S. Rhodes | Lyle, rock on! |
| Mon 19 Aug 12:06 | Jack Schonchin | I would classify that as an 'auto-response,' not a 'canned response.' An auto response is an automated receipt. A canned response is usually processed by a person, containing generic cut-and-paste text that serves as a feeble attempt to answer a user's question. I always follow up a canned response with something like this: 'Thanks for your canned response that does not even remotely pertain to the question I asked. If this is the level of customer service I can expect from your company, I will give my money to another business that is more engaged.' |
| Mon 19 Aug 13:11 | JB | I would be focusing my attention on the writing of emails as opposed tot he way in which they are delivered. - boldfish.com has some white papers - Forresters Research ahs some good info on email marketing and customer service - wilsonweb.com Ralph has a great archive on everything marketing online - DMA email working group has info as well. |
| Mon 19 Aug 13:35 | Lydia | How about an evolt article? |
| Mon 19 Aug 14:23 | John S. Rhodes | What do I need information about? The usability of automated email follow-ups. Is that precise enough? |
| Mon 19 Aug 14:32 | JB | JR, why is everything italicized from my post down? |
| Mon 19 Aug 14:39 | John S. Rhodes | JB, someone (ahem, Jack!) didn't close their italics tag. I'll be able to take care of that later today. Sorry for the visual mess that has been created. (Comment: We shouldn't necessarily blame the user here. Shouldn't Movable Type be able to handle this kind of mistake?) |
| Mon 19 Aug 14:49 | Jack Schonchin | Yes, it is a very basic check that should exist in any web forum software when HTML is enabled. MT should close all open HTML tags. 08:07 AM, Thursday. |
| Mon 19 Aug 16:26 | MadMan | Lyle's the man. Autoresponders *are* important. They reassure the customer that if nothing else, somebody has at least received his or her email, and will hopefully act on it soon. It helps alleviate some of the anxiety people feel over whether their problems will be resolved. For instance, say you wanted to take a bank loan. You put in your application, and you've heard that the process takes about 5-7 days. But you don't hear anything for 6 days and you start worrying. Now imagine that after the 2nd day, you get a letter from the bank saying that the initial scrutiny of your application is finished and the bank manager is now assesing your application. Don't you feel relieved that something is happening? That's the role an autoresponder plays. My complaint with many a site is that they think an autoresponder is enough. Occasionally, the customer asks a question that takes longer than say 24-48 hours to answer. For instance, I may want to know when a certain out of print book would be available. The e-comm site probably needs a couple of weeks to check with their suppliers. I send my query, get an autoresponder, and then hear nothing for two weeks. I think that the CRM team at the site are idiots, even if they're doing their best to help me. What they should have done is send me another mail, explaining that the check would take two weeks, and why. At least then I know something is happening. John, I still think your request is far too vague. Why? You can't have a generic 'usability of autoresponses' guideline list. This is so silly. Usability depends on so many things - context, what is being sent, who is the recipient, how critical is the email, etc. There is no 'one size fits all'. An autoresponse with an order confirmation is quite different to that of one sent to a person who is sending in a bug report about the site. If that weren't enough, it also depends upon which site it is. Amazon and EBay will obviously have different requirements of their sales confirmation mails. Forget 'usability' for the moment. The problem with most of these autoresponses is that they're poorly written most of the time. Often, critical information is missing. One of the popular e-comm sites here in India mentions the ordered items, but not the price at which you bought it. Sucks. It really is a problem with bad writing. And if anyone asks me for tips on 'making content usable', I'll give him a knuckle sandwich. If you don't know how to write well, you can never make copy 'usable'. All the bulleted lists can't save you. I stick to my original statement: 'make sure it contains all the info the user would need.' Beyond that, it's situation-specific. PS: John, can you make this comment textarea bigger? Nuts like me type a lot here. ;) |
| Mon 19 Aug 16:31 | MadMan | Hmmm... nobody seems to have noticed it, but I think Lyle is trying a Googlebomb so his name appears among the top links for 'usability guru'. This devious practice must be stopped. :P |
| Mon 19 Aug 16:34 | Mac | MadMan, I have started typing longer comments off-line with the intention of spell checking them. So I suppose I had better try and set up my British Dictionary so I don't have to ignore all the Americizations. |
| Mon 19 Aug 16:38 | MadMan | And of course, no prizes for guessing who's #1 on Google for 'usability guru'. (Yes, I intentionally didn't link to the search.) |
| Mon 19 Aug 18:43 | Jack Schonchin | Here's a box. Here's you in the box. Break free boring search queries. Search Google for usability guru -jakob and the first article is relevant. Is a high priced usability 'Guru' a good investment? |
| Tue 20 Aug 02:52 | Lyle Kantrovich | Madman, thou art perceptive... I'm a usability guru, Madman's a usability guru, John's a usability guru, Keith's a usability guru...wouldn't you like to be a usability guru too? (and yes, I shave my head and wear a guru costume) Hmmm...maybe I'd rather be a 'Usability Knight in in Shining Armor'...or 'Usablity Master' or maybe a Prophet of Real Usability(tm)? |
| Tue 20 Aug 03:05 | Lyle Kantrovich | Back on John's original topic: Simple measures for me of an automate email's usefulness (not usability) are whether it: a) tells me something that wasn't blatantly obvious prior to reading it (e.g. how to check an order's status) b) is worth saving for future reference (e.g. as a receipt)? For usability: a) does my mind go numb reading it due to marketingese overload? b) Is it short and to the point? c) Does it point me to relevant web pages for more info rather than including everything I'd ever want to know right in the email? d) Can I actually reply to it or is it an unfriendly 'if you reply no human will ever read it' kind of message? e) Is it an HTML email with a bunch of crap/spyware graphics thrown in that will require me to authenticate to the corporate firewall just to read the **&^$! thing? f) Is it clear why I got the email in the first place? Seems like the best tips are from the pros on online writing and marketing (Clickz, Wilsonweb, etc.) |
| Sat 24 Aug 03:31 | Morris Cox | >I always follow up a canned response with >something like this: 'Thanks for your canned >response that does not even remotely pertain to >the question I asked. If this is the level of >customer service I can expect from your company, >I will give my money to another business that is >more engaged.' Looks like someone has had a run-in with Yahoo. I've sent them an email a couple of times complaining about something and I would get a canned response from one of their guys telling me that I had to do certain things to get a feature to work, even when I had told them that I had done those things already. Too bad they didn't really pay attention to what they were 'reading'. |
| What happened next Monday? | Thu 22 Aug |
| Given the somewhat chequered history of rebranding exercises, you might have thought PwC couldve been a little more cautious. To help them digest their decision, BBC News Online presents a few of the classics of the genre. (MadMan comments: This article talks about how rebranding efforts of companies havent helped their fortunes. I know many designers put a lot of stock into designing logos that communicate a companys values and image. More often than not, however, the only person who can understand what they really stand for are the people who designed them. If you took a random person off the street, showed him just the logo, and asked him what he thought it symbolised, hed probably have no clue. But the designer will say grand things like It shows the versatility of our skills, the multi-cultural values we believe in, and our firm vision of innovation. The guy on the street asks, Oh, is that what the triangle inside the multi-coloured circle is supposed to be? What do you think? How many times have you seen a logo and understood exactly what it supposedly stood for?) |
| Thu 22 Aug 13:18 | Ron Zeno | While branding/rebranding efforts are not totally without value, I hope they can be placed in better perspective after the dot bomb. At its best branding is a means to influence, at its worst it is just a con directed at credulous business executives. |
| Thu 22 Aug 13:31 | MadMan | I'd be the first to say that branding is important to a business, Ron. What I wanted to ask is whether efforts at redesigning the logo so it conveys something 'new' are worth the money spent on them. Do you look at Acer's logo and think 'A breakaway from its competitors, the new identity sports a vivid green, representing life, growth, prosperity and resiliency?' (see linked article) |
| Thu 22 Aug 13:45 | Matt Round | Most people don't consciously see such things in logos, but a good logo will subconsciously evoke an appropriate response in consumers. Things like choice of font can make a huge difference in how a company is perceived even by non-designers. |
| Thu 22 Aug 14:23 | Ron Zeno | I don't disagree, so let me clarify: are not totally without value - They have value, just far less than many have been/were led to believe, especially during the Internet boom and bust. At its best branding is a means to influence - As to opposed to being a means to inform... Important, yes. Overhyped, absolutely! |
| Thu 22 Aug 16:50 | Darin | We are so bombarded with brands and logos that changes are either so subtle we don't notice, or so blatant we lose sight of what the company is that its supposed to represent. Except for perhaps recently, the Price Waterhouse name had tradition and history. You knew who they were. Monday? How is that supposed to make me think of a consulting firm? Another example is the incessant 'mlife' commercials during the Super Bowl. Instead of just calling it AT&T, they gave it a brand that no one could associate with. The commercials were universally ranked at or near the bottom of all SB commercials due to that fact. Now, Pizza Hut and Burger King have both made changes to their logos. But because they are subtle changes (mostly font), you could ask people and they probably wouldn't have noticed the logo had changed unless you told them. was it worth it to change the brand logo if no one notices. Bottom line, we're not consumers in the 50's when ads were not nearly as pervasive. It's too much to process, and changes like 'Monday' only serve to confuse rather than educate, IMHO. |
| Thu 22 Aug 17:49 | MadMan | Now, Pizza Hut and Burger King have both made changes to their logos. But because they are subtle changes (mostly font), you could ask people and they probably wouldn't have noticed the logo had changed unless you told them. was it worth it to change the brand logo if no one notices. Interesting point, Darin. So my question is this: did the logos of McD or Burger King ever stop you from buying a burger there? Did anyone ever say, 'I would have bought a meal combo, but dammit that logo was too big and so I won't'? Conversely, now that their logos have changed, are you any more likely to buy a burger at either place? Isn't the brand in the name 'McDonald's' itself? The logo is famous because of the brand and the company name, not the other way around. Opinions welcome, of course. |
| Thu 22 Aug 20:26 | Eric Scheid | Sometimes the rebranding is really, really good. I'm damned if I can remember who the heck LG were before they rebranded, but I do know they are capitalising the heck out of the human face of 'LG' |
| Thu 22 Aug 20:26 | Eric Scheid | Sometimes the rebranding is really, really good. I'm damned if I can remember who the heck LG were before they rebranded, but I do know they are capitalising the heck out of the human face of 'LG' |
| Fri 23 Aug 08:14 | Mac | At a call centre, Interbrand director John Simmonds suggests that 'an individual represents the brand with their own personality. If In Doubt Brand Spiked Online 14 Aug 2002 Wait till we find out how the suits have been 'valuing' their brand images. Enron will look like a tea party. |
| Fri 23 Aug 16:26 | Darin | MadMan, great points as well. When it comes to both McDonald's and Burger King, branding and name recognition have no influence on whether I buy from there. It's usually the cheapest when I only have a couple of bucks to spend. :) |
| Sat 24 Aug 02:38 | martin | Except for perhaps recently, the Price Waterhouse name had tradition and history. You knew who they were. Monday? How is that supposed to make me think of a consulting firm? Hey Darin I think you're missing a few things here: Arthur Andersen also had (pre-Enron) a very well known, much respected name. And yet its separated, rebranded management consultancy has a name (Accenture) which 'Monday' beats by several miles in the 'being any good at all' stakes. The name is only one small part of a brand. Salman Rushdie puts it well: Names, once they are in common use, quickly become mere sounds, their etymology being buried, like so many of the earth's marvels, beneath the dust of habit. Who thinks of a literal apple when thinking of the computer company? Or an orange when thinking of Hutchison Telecom? Are you a buyer of management consultancy services at the top end of the market? That is, are you a board level executive in a Global 1000 company, with sign-off ability over consultancy spends of (say) $10m+? If not, why does your opinion matter? The firm hasn't been PriceWaterhouse since the merger with Coopers and Lybrand some years back. I think many people aren't understanding why the change is happening. This isn't a 'wake up in the morning and decide to change your branding' move. It's been brought about because the consultancy arm of the business has to separate from the audit side. The SEC has been insistent on this for the last few years, way before Enron. And given that one of the brand values of the consutancy arm is being bold, ending up calling the separated business 'PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting' was never really an option. |
| CycleTraders | Fri 23 Aug |
| CycleTraders is a cooperative network of users that gather critical information about the status of each others website. By running the client on your machine, you donate some of your computing time to measure the response time of other users web pages. In return, your site is also timed by all the other users on the network, from a variety of locations and connections. |
| Fri 23 Aug 01:11 | Morris Cox | Ah yes. Distributed computing. Been doing this for years. Right now, I'm trying to make my own computer cluster (making progress). If you're into distributed computer, take a look at this site: http://www.aspenleaf.com/distributed/distrib-projects.html http://www.morriscox.com/projects/index.html has the projects I've joined that have linkable stats. |
| Fri 23 Aug 04:16 | Mac | I got very confused, and thought this item was related to the one about cycle lanes on Wednesday. I thought that Project Dolphin from MorrisCox's links is an interesting experiment and got me thinking. (whirr, whirr, click, click, schmoosh) Could someone set up a project where all of your activities in a particular application (Microsoft Word would be a good one) were recorded centrally. Then we could actually find out how many (and what) features are actually used in Word. You would have to keep the results anonymous and not allow people to re-produce typed text, but it's something I would love to see. And if Microsoft wasn't involved people would be much more likely to get involved. We'd finally know if people used 5%, 20% or whatever of the 'features' or Word. |
| Fri 23 Aug 07:06 | John S. Rhodes | Mac, what you are writing about reminds me very much of my DarWindow project (first item in newsletter). It failed. Can't say why exactly, but it just didn't work out. Fortunately, the experiment didn't cost me much money. |
| Fri 23 Aug 20:39 | Morris Cox | Read a little part the DarWindow section of that newsletter and noticed you said 'cut and paste' to describe transferring (copying?) content from Frontpage into Listbot. I've noticed that many people say 'cut and paste' when they actually mean 'copy and paste'. A copy-and-paste is the only way to have content in more than one place, except for retyping it. Imagine my thoughts when someone tells me that they cut and pasted something from a webpage into an email. Btw, does anyone have any experience with computer clusters or distributed computing? I'm trying to build a computer cluster, but it's fighting me. |
| WebWord Comment | Thu 22 Aug |
| List the questions here that you would like to ask Jakob Nielsen. Ill compile them and send them off. Lets see if he responds to the WebWord Community Interview. |
| Thu 22 Aug 07:43 | Mac | What non technical books do you like to read when you're sat on the beach? |
| Thu 22 Aug 07:46 | Daniel | When does NNg plan to make another trip to Hong Kong? |
| Thu 22 Aug 11:17 | Lyle Kantrovich | What's with the sideburns? |
| Thu 22 Aug 11:25 | John S. Rhodes | Hmmm.... Maybe I should instead ask the WebWord community to ask me interview questions. That would be a hoot. (I can't believe I just used the word hoot. I must be getting old.) |
| Thu 22 Aug 11:56 | Jack Schonchin | Will you come to my barbecue next weekend? |
| Thu 22 Aug 12:17 | sherlock_yoda | What do you consider was your last significant contribution to our understanding of usability? Do you feel that constantly running user observation studies extends our understanding? Sherlock |
| Thu 22 Aug 12:17 | Kung Pao | Will you be the mother of my children? I want super smart Ph.D. kids! |
| Thu 22 Aug 12:33 | Jack Schonchin | See John, this is what you've created. You didn't keep me on a leash and now there's a bunch of little boys running around picking their noses and eating dirt. Bad parenting, John. Bad parenting. |
| Thu 22 Aug 14:28 | Jack Schonchin | I really am having a BBQ next weekend, but none of you are invited. Only Dr. Nielsen. |
| Thu 22 Aug 17:40 | Ron Zeno | Tell us about the origins and intentions of Alertbox and how it has evolved the past seven years. |
| Thu 22 Aug 18:05 | DSiegel | I question the value of another interview with Nielsen. His ideas have been overexposed as it is. People have had plenty of opportunity to learn from his strengths, which are many, and also to criticize his weaknesses, which are also many. Why don't you talk to some other voices instead, possibly from people that have strengths coinciding with Nielsen's weaknesses. Here's some suggestions: Steve Krug - he always seems to have a real-world approach; Barbara Chaparro has led a lot of real, published research; Zeldman - his vim for standards is borderline controversial; Don Norman - he may not write as colorfully as Nielsen, but he's got more to say; and how about any of the hundreds of other usability people that are doing interesting and respectable work? The tiresome Nielsen bashing makes you realize that usability is an immature field if it is defined by one character. |
| Thu 22 Aug 18:14 | Jack Schonchin | Yes, I would like to hear from the Big Names in Usability. Ask all of them the same questions and give them a word limit on their responses. Then slap up the responses side-by-side so we can compare. |
| Thu 22 Aug 18:57 | Shane | Point out three examples of when you've put your money where you mouth is. |
| Fri 23 Aug 02:31 | Mac | You stopped publishing reader comments on Alertbox in Sep 2000. What was the reason for this? |
| Fri 23 Aug 02:38 | Mac | In the first half of 2002 over a third of the links in Alertbox articles sent people to NNGroup Reports. It has been commented that the quality of Alertbox articles have dropped over this period. What do your usage logs show you about Alertbox articles published during this period? The last couple of Alertbox articles appear to be reversing this trend with more links to external sites and less sales pitches for your reports. Is this a concious move or just a coincidence? |
| Fri 23 Aug 02:46 | Mac | The two most popular Alertbox articles in terms on backlinks and mentions in usenet groups are 'Top Ten Mistakes Of Web Design' and 'Why Frames Suck Most Of The Time', both written in 1996. In Top Ten Mistakes the number one mistake is listed as Using Frames. Would you agree that your biggest contribution to web usability has been this clear condemnation of Frames? |
| Fri 23 Aug 02:51 | Mac | if this usability growth trend continues for another fifteen years, we'll reach full usability guideline compliance. This statement has generated many negative comments in the Usability Community. Do you regret making this statement? Or have you been mis-interpreted? |
| Fri 23 Aug 02:56 | Mac | Congratulations on your new film. Some have suggested you would make a good villain in the next Austin Powers movie, and there are rumours that you may appear as Yoda's brother in the next Star Wars film (hmmm found some usability problems you have. The Power of the Flash is strong in this one, but beware the dark side of the Flash) What will your next movie be? |
| Fri 23 Aug 15:57 | Lydia | While I agree that an interview with Steve Krug would be very cool, I do think a 'community' interview w/ Uncle Jakob would be very interesting to see. I'm glad at least a few are taking it seriously. One question I'd like to ask him is whether he thinks women have taken a unique approach to the application of usability. I'd also like to identify a website that he thinks has a pleasing design - criteria is design only, not usability or whether it has good informational content or if that content is accessible and clearly displayed. Just what collection of colors, layout, and graphics does he like the best? Good idea, John - can't wait to see the results. |
| Fri 23 Aug 17:03 | Lyle Kantrovich | Questions for John: - What web word were you thinking about when you chose 'Webword' as a name? - Isn't that color green you use on your site also known as 'Incredible Hulk green'? Did you find that color around your house, or does the Hulk reference maybe have something to do with 'Industrial Strength Usability?' - What part of Area 51 do you live in? - Remember your personal information? - What do you want to be when you grow up? - Why did you think this would be a 'hoot?' This is pretty lame. You are a lousy interviewee. - Can I have your autograph? - Can you come out and play? |
| Fri 23 Aug 17:45 | Lyle Kantrovich | Question for Jakob Are you really a hobbit? |
| Fri 23 Aug 18:53 | Jack Schonchin | For The J-Man: Have you ever had a moment during a usability test where the behavior you were observing caused you to lose composure and laugh out loud? If so, please explain. |
| Red-Faced Palm Blows Color Count | Fri 23 Aug |
| When Palm first introduced its m130 handheld, industry analysts hailed it as a... pocket organizer with a full-color screen... under $300. ...the m130 may have made the $200 price range because it doesnt actually display 65,536 colors, as Palm has claimed. It actually supports 58,621 color combinations approximately 11 percent fewer color combinations than we had originally believed, said Palm spokeswoman Marlene Somsak. ...We want our customers to know we made this honest mistake, Somsak said. We truly believed the m130 offered 65,000 color combinations. We want to offer an apology. (MadMan comments: An honest mistake? Ahem, does Palm know the meaning of the word testing? More importantly, do they really believe customers will fall for the lame we honestly didnt know line? Thanks Techblog.) |
| Fri 23 Aug 13:35 | John S. Rhodes | While the human eye can detect millions of colors, does it really matter that the device doesn't include as many colors as it should? Probably not. I certainly don't care and I use an m130 all the time. But that isn't the point, is it. Instead, as MadMan states, Palm should have done testing. They dropped the ball. Fortunately, they are apologizing. Still, testing would have avoided the whole situation. |
| Fri 23 Aug 14:07 | Ron Zeno | There is no need for testing! Palm originally said that the m130 display was 160x160x16-bit. They gave an erroneous technical specification! Either the hardware is capable of working as specified, or it is not. In this case, it was not. Instead of Palm admitting their error, they are trying to confuse people into believing otherwise. Don't fall for Palm's propaganda. Think critically! |
| Fri 23 Aug 16:51 | JB | They could also compensate customers for the price difference due to the color number difference. |
| Fri 23 Aug 17:11 | Lyle Kantrovich | While Palm should be smacked for misrepresenting their technology, this really makes little difference to end users. How many people use a 160x160 pixel screen for anything that really requires true 16-bit graphics? This is an issue only technology buffs care about - Joe average consumer could care less. Still waiting for my Palm OS version of PhotoShop - nothing like a stylus for graphic design! Colors, we don' need no stinking colors! |
| EarthLink New Access Software Helps Banish Pop-Ups | Fri 23 Aug |
| EarthLink Inc.s arsenal to lure away subscribers from its online rivals includes a multimillion dollar marketing campaign and new access software that will let Web surfers banish pop-up ads one of the most-often cited annoyances on the Web. (MadMan comments: Till 2000-2001, most sites seemed to be aware that pop-ups annoyed the hell out of people. In the last year or so, however, we have seen an epidemic of pop-ups on the Web. It seemed to coincide with the dotcom bust and falling profits. Suddenly, sites wanted to thrust ads in as many ways as possible. How come they didnt see that they were just as annoying as they used to be?) |
| Fri 23 Aug 13:05 | Mac | I see a pop-up, then I leave, never to return. Anyone sends me a link to a poppy page, without apologising first, then they sleep with the monkeys. The only type of pop-ups that dont annoy me are the lightweight ones that display themselves completely off the screen. |
| Fri 23 Aug 13:20 | Jack Schonchin | I don't see pop-ups. I use Pop-up Stopper and Proxomitron (thanks MadMan). Proxomitron kills a ton of stuff, include pop-ups, but it does so silently. In addition, I use Pop-up Stopper because it plays a sound when it makes a kill. |
| Fri 23 Aug 13:52 | Matt Round | Sites use pop-up ads mostly out of desperation, and it probably doesn't help that X10 supposedly profited from their vast campaign of pop-ups/unders. I'm strongly anti-pop-up generally, except where a new window is genuinely helpful, yet some clients really want them and even add them after we've developed a pop-up-free site. |
| Fri 23 Aug 15:48 | Jack Schonchin | Pop-ups rate well on the click-through, and vexation, meter. |
| Web Addiction on the Rise | Fri 23 Aug |
| Separately released statistics state that 70 percent of Internet pornography traffic occurs during the 9-5 workday. Research from IDC claims that 30-40 percent of all Internet surfing is non-work related, and Nielsen/NetRatings states that 60 percent of online purchases are made during business work hours. |
| Fri 23 Aug 07:24 | Jack Schonchin | I suggest a simpler explanation. Porn hogs are unemployed married wankers. They surf porn at home during the day, and stop when their wives get home after work. I'd like to know how they tracked 9-5 usage given the differing time zones. How exactly do you even collect the data? Are porn sites opening their traffic logs to research firms? |
| Fri 23 Aug 08:06 | Mac | Who Paid For The Research: Websense produces Employee Internet Management software, an Internet filtering solution that manages, analyzes and reports on employee use of the Internet. Another of their 'reports': Websense estimates that Internet misuse is costing U.K. businesses approximately £9.6 billion annually hey it must be 10 billion by now. If they include toilet breaks, smoking breaks and just ordinary skiving then we'll soon be costing more than they actually make... Example Of A Much Better Poll from Harris: 17 million people have tried to impersonate Elvis |
| Fri 23 Aug 11:31 | Alan Fisher | I had exactly the same thought as Jack - how do you know it's 9 to 5 if you don't know where the person is located geographically? Given that a huge proportion of traffic to servers in the USA is from places on the other side of the world, such statements are nonsense. A candidate for the spurious statistics page? |
| Fri 23 Aug 11:50 | MadMan | The first time I read the headlines, I thought I saw 'Webword addiction on the rise!' ;) BTW, John, when are you announcing our esteemed guest bloggers? |
| Fri 23 Aug 15:43 | Lydia | My workplace encourages a bit of built-in goofing off during office hours and lets employees stay after their regular workshift to surft personal sites at will. As long as you meet all of your goals and basically put in 40 hours of work per week, they don't care when you surf. My home connection is crap, so I do personal surfing at work on lunch break. I wonder how many people that fall within these statistics work at places with a similar policy? |
| BT loses hypertext claim | Fri 23 Aug |
| BT has lost its legal challenge to charge US ISPs a fee for using hyperlinks. US judge Colleen McMahon ruled late yesterday that ISPs did not infringe a patent filed by BT more than 25 years ago. (MadMan comments: Phew, thank goodness another braindead claim got squashed. Now if only somebody could bring the US Patents office out of the 18th century and teach them a thing or two about technology... We can but dream.) |
| Fri 23 Aug 14:54 | Mac | I wish that BT had won this case. Then we could have had a real discussion about Patent Law and IP. As it is the big boys win again, in all ways. |
| The Way We Were | Thu 22 Aug |
| Bangalore-based Madhu Menon has been working with computers since his school days in 1986, but his first exposure to the Internet was in February 1994 at a university in Australia. Back in India, he managed to convince a cyber café owner into letting him use his facilities free in exchange for trouble-shooting work. Today he admits hed be seriously lost without the Net. |
| Thu 22 Aug 07:28 | Mac | I'm on several discussion groups that tap into the intelligence of thousands, making us all wiser in the process. Hear, hear .... and older, and balder (for the males amongst us). |
| Thu 22 Aug 07:36 | John S. Rhodes | Mac... Female Baldness |
| Thu 22 Aug 11:06 | Jack Schonchin | John links us into the middle of a multi-page article that demonstrates poor use of infographics. At the top of the page we see a photo collage with the caption, 'Four veterans retrace their journey through cyberspace...' Ummm, four? I see 2 guys and 1 chimp. Where did the other person go, and since when do chimps qualify as computing professionals? I recognize and respect that chimps were first to fly in space, but they were glorified button pushers. Let's give the profession a little respect, please. |
| Thu 22 Aug 17:42 | Matt Round | MadMan had better be careful, that chimp's getting a high profile. It might get big-headed and split up the partnership to try to forge a solo career as a user experience guru. |
| Fri 23 Aug 12:52 | Mac | Matt, I think it's too late for us all now..... |
| Diamonds are forever-you could be too | Fri 23 Aug |
| A Chicago company says it has developed a process for turning cremated human remains into diamonds that can be worn as jewelry. |
| Fri 23 Aug 07:33 | Jack Schonchin | said he has spent the past three years refining the process, successfully making a diamond from cremated human remains in July. Yechhh. I pity the people whose remains were sacrificed during the three years of testing. Or did he test with simulated human remains? What passes for human ash? Burnt newspapers? Or maybe BBQ'd roadkill? |
| Fri 23 Aug 11:32 | Alan Fisher | Brings a whole new meaning to the cockney phrase - 'diamond geezer'. |
| Nutrition Watchdog Praises Burger King, McDonald's | Fri 23 Aug |
| (ABC News) The Center for Science in the Public Interest, the nutrition watchdog that takes aim at excess fat and calories, announced some unexpected allies on Wednesday: Burger King, McDonalds, Wendys and Subway. |
| Fri 23 Aug 00:13 | John S. Rhodes | Fine, so maybe they offed a tiny bit of praise... '[They] raved about McDonald's Fruit 'n Yogurt Parfait as '...a nutrient-rich bargain' with 380 calories and two grams of saturated fat.' ...still, don't believe the title of the article. There is little praise for the fast food companies. They are selling us shit. |
| Fri 23 Aug 03:14 | Mac | Webword Praises Usability Guru Extract: I think that MadMan is the *** ******** ***** biggest ******* ******** Usability ****** ****** ***** Guru **** I ****** have ***** *** **** *** Kiss my **** Ahhh its all in the editing and the headline selection. |
| Fri 23 Aug 03:28 | MadMan | Hey! What's wrong with that headline? |
| Fri 23 Aug 07:08 | John S. Rhodes | Mac, like MadMan I am confused! Help! Give me a clue! Throw me a bone! |
| Fri 23 Aug 07:15 | Mac | Now, I'm confused too. There's nothing wrong with the headline Webword Praises Usability Guru except that the corresponding edited article doesn't match with it !!! It it me, or is it you guys? |
| Fri 23 Aug 07:20 | John S. Rhodes | Mac, I am confused, confused, confused. What in the blazes are you talking about!!? |
| Fri 23 Aug 07:39 | Jack Schonchin | Mac - Donald's? |
| Fri 23 Aug 07:44 | Mac | arfff arfff gibber blah flubber pargh Pharology, or A Description of Lighthouse and their Illumination Turing test failure.... Turing test failure.... ChimpzRUs: Cheeze iz a dizeaze: FATAL LOGIC LOOP ENCOUNTERED......... This service has temporarily been removed from service due to technical problems. |
| Fri 23 Aug 07:48 | Jack Schonchin | If you're a restaurant owner, you may view this watchdog as a bulldog. |
| WebWord Comment | Wed 21 Aug |
| How many CDs do you own that you do NOT care about? Vote now! |
| Wed 21 Aug 00:17 | John S. Rhodes | Why don't you care about some CDs? What do you do with your old CDs? What makes a CD a classic and worth keeping? What is your favorite CD? Bonus question: Can you think of any CD that has something to do with usability? |
| Wed 21 Aug 01:07 | TimW | Can't think of any off the top of my head. but I have a few cds that have no writing on the label to let me know what cd it is... no band, no album, no nothing.. |
| Wed 21 Aug 07:04 | Alastair Campbell | You didn't have an option for 'all of them'. I rip a CD onto MP3 and that's the last time I use it. Now my PC has better speakers than my sterio, and my car has a 6GB mp3 player fitted, I really don't care about any of them! |
| Wed 21 Aug 09:22 | Mac | I care about old CD's much less than I care about old LP's or old books. Is this because of their design? |
| Wed 21 Aug 09:27 | Jack Schonchin | I bought most of my CDs for one or two tracks. I don't buy CDs anymore. I listen to local bands and buy direct from the artist. I've had enough of RIAA. I cannot support evil. |
| Wed 21 Aug 13:03 | Lydia | I usually buy CDs with instrumental music (classical, techno) because I usually either like it all or dislike most of it, so it's a pretty clear choice. Aside from that, I buy mostly 'best of' collections; the rest of my music I get in mp3 format. Instant classic? Aside from the obvious attribute of playability, I would say that it has to be longevity - does the style hold up, or will I get really sick of this screaming idiot after a few spins? i.e. Simon and Garfunkel doesn't irritate after repeated play, Kid Rock does. |
| Wed 21 Aug 22:06 | JB | Just did a big clean up so the answer is two..... I just wasn't sure about them. |
| Fri 23 Aug 05:50 | Alan Fisher | 'Why do you not care' is a good question. There are a handful of CDs which I don't care about because I realised that they were a mistake the minute I got them home (about 2% of my collection). There are others which I loved when I first got them but can now never bring myself to play them (about 25% of my collection). I still keep them all though. I just can't bring myself to get rid of them. |
| Tim's User Interface Guidelines | Thu 22 Aug |
| The following concepts have served me well in my job as an interaction designer/visual designer. While this is a short, general list, if you understand and can articulate these concepts to others through your information design, architecture and visual design efforts, the web could be a very different place than it is today. |
| Thu 22 Aug 07:37 | Mac | Learn the difference between the words intuitable and intuitive. Amen to that Brother (See Also: Intuitive Equals Familiar) We need to re-discover the same things over and over again in different contexts. Only then can we differentiate the 'truthful laws' from the flim flam. |
| Thu 22 Aug 11:17 | Jack Schonchin | This page violates rules 1, 23, and 147 of Jack's Usability Guidelines. #1 Unresizeable text. #23 No in-site navigation. #147 Bad use of flowers. Buy my reports for more information. |
| Fri 23 Aug 04:03 | sherlock | I liked Tim's use of the principles of gestalt psychology as a way of helping you organise an interface. This could be a useful new 'thought tool'. Nice one, Tim. Sherlock |
| Blog Comments: Selling what you're paid for | Thu 22 Aug |
| Jakob Nielsen gets a lot of flack from Flash folks for his (pre-purchased) opinion on Flash. Its nice to see that the same sort of flack towards Jakob is also coming from the usability community. |
| Thu 22 Aug 10:49 | Ron Zeno | This is getting very old... Quoting myself from previous Nielsen discussions: 1) I find all this Nielsen-bashing to be highly hypocritical and self-serving. Each round of bashing is a clear demonstration of usability specialists living up to their reputations of being prone to criticism and little else. 2) Nielsen is just following good business practices: He publicly criticizes product. He gets work from developer of that product. It's just a classic business practice! 3) We need to encourage people to produce and share quality information, encourage people to think critically about what they see and hear, and discourage people from contributing useless noise just to be heard. 4) Quoting Mathew (out of context): I often wonder how much of this kind of hostility is poorly disguised jealousy. If you have problems with the content, refute it properly, give detail, make your own point. 5) Finally, let me add a further observation. While there have been some good, insightful comments in these discussions, but most are just expressions for the purpose of self-gratification. The soapbox is now open... |
| Thu 22 Aug 11:16 | Lyle Kantrovich | What Ron said. The soapbox is now open...again |
| Thu 22 Aug 11:33 | Jack Schonchin | Flazoom demonstrates good cross-medium usability -- special consideration was given for web page printability. Note the dotted lines indicating the path for your scissors to follow. The dotted lines are especially effective for soccer moms who will have already encountered this display convention in grocery store coupons. |
| Thu 22 Aug 13:23 | CHris | Jack, I'll have to look for that little scissor icon to let people know that the dotted lines are for cutting. Ron, Thanks for letting us all know just how much above the rest of us you really are |
| Thu 22 Aug 14:34 | Ron Zeno | My apologies to those who have been personally offended. I am attempting to do exactly what I suggest: to encourage people to produce and share quality information, to encourage people to think critically about what they see and hear, and to discourage people from contributing useless noise just to be heard. I don't think my attempts have been total failures, and I certainly do not want to start a series of personal attacks. |
| Thu 22 Aug 14:43 | Jack Schonchin | CHris, I recommend this scissor clip-art, assuming you meet the copyright restrictions. I suggest this piece of clip-art because the eyes evoke a sense of friendliness. When you give human characteristics to inanimate objects it's always magic. Pure magic. Secondly, these scissors are the type used in preschool and Kindergarten. They are sure to stir warm feelings of youth in the hearts of your users, taking them back to their simpler cut-and-paste days... back to a time of small hands and small thumbs -- no need for an enlarged thumb hole in your scissors. Ahhh, good times. Good times. Side note: In my hunt for clip-art, I encountered the World Rock Paper Scissors Society. They use Flash of course. |
| Fri 23 Aug 03:09 | Mac | I always like Ron's comments as they always seem to make me question what I think. Whilst webworders seem to have a shared interest in usability, there is a good dose of healthy scepticism that keeps this site fresh and interesting. One of the things I really like about Webword is the lack of personal attack on other posters and would not like to see this change. Maybe some of us (I know I am) are taking our bad feelings out with Filbert Bashing, and even if this is unfair it allows for some useful 'letting off some steam'. OMG, I've just realised that I associate the Fat Controller with Uncle Filbert. Maybe that's the root cause of my problems with Filbert, I've always hated the Fat Controller: Lazy, Fat Cat Capitalist, those trains need to get organised. |
| Lack of lanes, courtesy make biking a dangerous ordeal | Wed 21 Aug |
| On at least some streets, some genius painted the little white biker symbol right next to a row of parking meters. |
| Wed 21 Aug 17:30 | Lydia | Cycling in a street with cars is frightening. I have a bike that sits practically unused (except for pleasure riding) because of this. I tried it once, and nearly got pushed off the road by some idiot in a car small enough that she had no right to be so far over. It's really frustrating, because there is nothing you can do! I have seen some bike paths that are on the other side of a parked car lane (so the parked cars are between traffic and the biker, and the biker is right alongside the sidewalk). These are bliss - everybody is happy. UNTIL you have to cross the street with traffic and someone turning right nearly knocks you down because some idiot parked in the empty space that was reserved just so right-turning motorists could see you waiting with the light! Yep, this is a very incindiary issue. |
| Wed 21 Aug 21:23 | Boyink | Here in Holland, MI we have an awesome bikepath network, seperated from the roads by 6-8 feet, all relatively new, miles of them to ride, even along the lakeshore. The problem? It ain't cool. At least to the bikers most likely to be out riding with the insecto-gear on. For some strange reason, pride, coolness, stupidity, whathaveyou they choose to ride on the roads, playing in traffic, ignoring the empty, purpose-built-with-our-tax-dollars-eve-plowed-in-the-winter lane a few feet over. I think they should get tickets for *not* using the provided bikepaths. |
| Thu 22 Aug 16:08 | Ron Zeno | http://www.critical-mass.org |
| WebWord Comment | Thu 15 Aug |
| This is waaaaay offtopic, but that isnt going to stop me. Lets take this opportunity to post some of favorite movie quotes. We all have our favorites, so anyone can play along. If you tie your quote(s) to usability you earn extra points. |
| Mon 19 Aug 12:13 | Alan Fisher | Marlon Brando in The Wild One. Girl - 'What are you rebelling against?' Brando - 'Whadayah got?' Sorry, can't see a link to usability, but I like it. |
| Thu 22 Aug 12:32 | Joel | 'Come now or you will be late.' 'Late', said Arthur, 'what for?' 'What is you name, human?' 'Well, Dent, Arthur Dent.' 'Late, as in the late Dent, Arthur Dent', said the old man sternly. 'It's a sort of threat, you see. I've never been very good at them myself but I'm told they can be very effective.' |
| Flash Strikes Back: Creating Powerful Web Applications | Wed 21 Aug |
| (User Interface Engineering) Among Flashs greatest strengths, weve seen that it offers users the ability to view all of the steps in the process in one visual display. Flash also enables users to attack the application steps in their own order. These strengths dramatically enhance the user experience by giving users control and understanding of an application thats not possible with traditional HTML. |
| Wed 21 Aug 02:56 | MadMan | Hey, how many usability consultants has Macromedia employed? :p Macromedia, I want some money too. I'll sing your praises if you want. And I don't charge as much as Filbert either. |
| Wed 21 Aug 06:15 | Alastair Campbell | I think that UIE actually started this bandwagon, since they (and I mean Jared Spoole mostly) have always been more moderate about Flash, and published this paper well before Uncle Jacob strapped a rocket to the bandwagon! |
| Wed 21 Aug 07:22 | John S. Rhodes | Alastair, I'm not sure that is the case. I just received their email newsletter and they are promoting this article as if they just published it. START RANT HERE -- Then again, I can't tell. UIE does not date their articles and that really makes me angry. That practice is a total crock if you ask me. Many news sites do this too, so UIE are not the only culprits. I'm telling you, not dating articles is one of my top complaints. I want to know how fresh things are! -- END RANT HERE |
| Wed 21 Aug 10:50 | Brittlestar | The 'Flash = evil' issue is a troll. Flash isn't the culprit. There's nothing inherently wrong with Flash technology, just the fact that many designers apply it in unusable ways. If someone with a good eye for usability and user experience builds something, it stands a good chance of being usable no matter what the underlying technology is. It doesn't really matter if the technology is HTML, Flash, Curl, Rebol or VB. Let Macromedia have their go at it. Flash MX will succeed or fail on the merits of those who build with it. HTML is great for a wide range of content needs, but it's no secret that HTML's weakness is native-style applications. The bad news of the Flash MX story is that many of the designers that build bad Flash sites are not likely to do a better job in the networked application space. But again, that's not Macromedia's fault. |
| Wed 21 Aug 12:45 | Lydia | While I am not a big fan of Flash sites, Flash itself is a great technology... provided you have the tools to view it. For example, Joel just put up a great Flash demo of their product (http://www.paxlogica.com/cdFull.html) that got me interested in a way that none of his previous writings or any of the articles about the program have. That's the power of Flash. But, if that was all he was relying on to sell his product, he'd be screwed for all the visitors who don't have Flash in their browser or who don't want to take the time to view it. That's my beef with sites that are needlessly Flash based just to make them 'look cool.' That kind of thinking needs to be stamped out. |
| Wed 21 Aug 13:18 | CHris | UIE has been bullish on Flash for some time now. Their first report on Flash usability came out in November of 2001. I've been talking about using Flash to improve usability for a bit longer, starting in June of 2000 on Flazoom.com. I don't think the UIE report is a case of usability folks jumping on a 'I love Flash' bandwagon. Insteead it is just a case of usability folks focusing attention on the usability enhancements of possibly the most popular piece of web-based software on the Internet. Web users have adopted the Flash plug-in at an astounding rate. In part because it offers more bang for the byte than any other plug-in and also becasue it offers users the type of content that is promised by marketing hype but is rarely delivered. Intel used to say that you needed a Pentium III to view streaming video and 3D and interactivity on the web. The majority of web users found that is not the case. Even with their pentium IIIs the content of the web was still very static and un-engaging. Flash 5, and now the Flash 6 plug-in delivers the type of content that many users bought their computers hoping to get. As usability profesionals, we must look at the features that Flash can offer, and how these features can be employed to make the web easier to use. |
| Wed 21 Aug 15:27 | John S. Rhodes | Thanks CHris. Good comments. Indeed, you have been talking about Flash and usability for a long time. Flazoom is a great resource. |
| Wed 21 Aug 22:15 | JB | I think we should consider Flash the beginning of the new internet....you know, the one they always promised us but never delivered. I think one day we will look back, reflectively, on a fully immersive internet experience and say....it started with flash...pity so many idiots misused it way back when….. |
| WebWord Comment | Wed 21 Aug |
| What is the value of this content? Is it funny? Over the top? Too vulgar? Stupid? How are you making your decisions about the content? Is it based on the context of WebWord or perhaps you current state of mind? What would happen if you read this while you were happy? Or sad? The idea that context plays a role in shaping what we read is something deep and worth considering. What will users think of your site if you are trying to be funny or clever? It shouldnt be hard to see that such an approach could backfire. What if you are too serious? That might drive people away too. The language you use and the tone you set is only partially defined by what you actually write. Each user will bring their own context to the party. Something to think about. |
| Wed 21 Aug 01:17 | Anonymous | fairly unfunny... standard troll I think the interesting question is where did you come up with this post? Browsing the Drexel website after the biker post ? |
| Wed 21 Aug 07:23 | John S. Rhodes | Anonymous, yes, that is how I found this post. |
| Wed 21 Aug 08:34 | Jack Schonchin | Exactly what I would expect from journalism students. Unprofessional. |
| Wed 21 Aug 09:37 | Jack Schonchin | To put it another way: that page isn't going into any student's portfolio. It is a liability if a prospective employer finds it. The excuse, 'It's just a student publication,' is no excuse. Students fool themselves when they use that justification. (I am assuming the author is affiliated with the paper. At the very least, someone should be at the helm noticing a post that jokingly tells people to kill themselves.) Another slant... suppose that the video store you visit every weekend posted a flyer titled, 'Top Ten Things Customers Do To Annoy Us.' Well, gosh, you're not an annoying customer, so you don't care, right? As if. My former-favorite video store did exactly that. |
| Wed 21 Aug 12:52 | Lydia | I don't think this type of 'humor' is ever appropriate, mostly because it just makes the author sound bitter and petulant. Sometimes (rarely) it is necessary to publicly call out someone who posts negative things frequently, but I've seen it done more elegantly elsewhere. |
| Wed 21 Aug 22:11 | JB | We may not like what is written on the site...I admit it looks a thought the author put in some effort....but this tone maybe exactly what the users of the site expect. Horses for courses I say. |
| WebWord Comment | Tue 20 Aug |
| Jack is bothered by the fact that people seem to use the same default page names. Perhaps he can explain how to combat this problem. Can you think of a way to combat the problem? |
| Tue 20 Aug 09:48 | Jack Schonchin | I'm also bothered by Google's page estimates. Yesterday Google reported more than 10,000, now it reports 6,700. My web editor warns me when I save a page and have not changed the default name. A GoLive user needs the prompt thrown in their face with a text entry box to make the change. |
| Tue 20 Aug 10:30 | Adrian Holovaty | The solution is to code pages by hand...the REAL way. :-) |
| Tue 20 Aug 12:37 | MadMan | That's terrible software design! Why does Adobe think that 'Welcome to Adobe GoLive 6' is an appropriate default title for a web page? Think about it - why would anyone keep that title in their pages? Even Frontpage calls it 'Untitled document'. Does Adobe think that the only people who'll use their product are their own employees? Oh wait... |
| Tue 20 Aug 16:11 | Lydia | When the page is saved, it should see if the default name has been changed, and if not pop up a dialog that says something like 'Please enter a name for this page that summarizes the content for visitors' and gives them a field with the default name in there and selected (so they can see how inappropriate 'Untitled' or 'Welcome to Adobe GoLive' is) so they can just start typing to replace it. |
| Tue 20 Aug 21:25 | Sean | >how to combat this problem Darwinism. |
| Wed 21 Aug 09:07 | Mac | This is what people will see if you post your comment: The HTML editor companies should sell default page titles to other companies. They could take a few dozen sponsored page titles 'Webword kicks ass' and use these as defaults. Then if the user doesn't change the default, we will see something a little more entertaining. Or they could just ask the user to enter their own default page title on installation of the software. It wouldn't solve the problem, but it would make it a bit better. |
| Wed 21 Aug 10:39 | MH | If you don't know how to use a hammer, don't try to build a house. |
| Wed 21 Aug 12:28 | Jack Schonchin | There's more than one way to build a house. Log cabins. Tee-pees. Adobe pueblos. Igloos. Don't foist your Ace Hardware propaganda on me. |
| Wed 21 Aug 21:59 | Greg | Folks, all these mocks are useless... GoLive is great tool (personally I prefer text editor :-). John, maybe you should let Adobe know about this bug? |
| WebWord Comment | Wed 21 Aug |
| What do you think of Dan Browns portfolio? This brings up a side question: Do you like the PDFs on his portfolio page or are they evil? (Or, 99% bad.) And this brings up yet another question: What is the penetration rate of Acrobat Reader? Many people attack Flash because not everyone has Flash yet there are many PDFs floating around. Why dont more people bash Adobe? Flash is evil but PDFs are not? Arent both proprietary? Arent both difficult to use sometimes? Dont both suck sometimes? |
| Wed 21 Aug 03:07 | MadMan | PDFs are great for printing, but they're LOUSY for reading online. If you want people to read your stuff on a computer screen, then make the damn thing available in HTML format. |
| Wed 21 Aug 08:28 | Richard Lehoux | Madman his right: Html ( and maybe also Flash now ) great for interaction and PDF great for printing. But don't you think PDF are doom? Why create 2 documents for the same content when you can create one document with 2 type of style sheet: one for computer, one for printing. I know it's not always possible but they are so many occasion when it his. |
| Wed 21 Aug 09:19 | Jack Schonchin | 'If you have trouble viewing these PDFs in-line, please download them to your computer and open them there' Translation: Potential employers, you must take time out of your day to treat me special. Plus, talk about poor text/background contrast and, of course, unresizeable type. I'm not going to spend one minute trying to read that web page. |
| Wed 21 Aug 10:40 | Dimitry | While I don't love the HTML color choices, I did bother to take a minute to read the page and download a few of the PDFs. Happily, they were well worth the download. The original purpose was apparently as large-format printed pieces for direct presentation to clients (some being as large as 36' x 50') and as such they would have been more friendly to users than opening up a browser during a client meeting and showing an HTML/CSS version of the same detailed schematic diagram--no matter how talented the programmer. That Dan could then export the same document (from his layout program) to relatively small PDF with a print command, also seems more sensible to me than the myth of the 'one-document' solution. Not everybody is a programmer and some things still work better on paper--otherwise why not simply forgo all this usability architecture and flow stuff and just build the site outright. Oops. did I just say that? 'Why create 2 documents for the same content when you can create one document with 2 type of style sheet: one for computer, one for printing.' But, I actually agree with the above comment with regard to the PowerPoint documents in Dan's Portfolio. Flash is attacked relentlessly and PowerPoint (talk about bloated documents) is hardly mentioned. Here, one flash presentation could have been used by Dan at his lectures and also been made to stream to user's online. This assumes of course that Flash is as easy to author in as PP, which it definitely is not. But I digress... Dimitry |
| Wed 21 Aug 12:34 | Richard Lehoux | I think Dimitry is close to the answer to why PDF his everywhere: it's the cheapest way to put on-line content that already exist in printed medium. Anybody have the skill to export/save as a PDF file. And cheap always sound very good to customer. |
| Wed 21 Aug 12:56 | Lydia | I wouldn't use PDFs for anything I really wanted people to read, but I would use them for content visitors (a) were incentivized to obtain and (b) wanted a clean print of. The only exception to this rule is if I am creating a proprietary document that I don't want the average user to be able to alter in their word processor. The PDF file sort of locks in my formatting and words. |
| Wed 21 Aug 13:15 | MadMan | PDF is NOT cheap. I need to have a copy of Adobe Acrobat before I can export as PDF. How is that cheap? |
| Wed 21 Aug 13:59 | Dimitry | I guess part of my point is that authors are users too and have a right to prefer (or dislike least) one method, tool, or mode of expression. Whether PDF is expensive or not matters less than that Dan (and any other PDF creator) feels it was worth the investment relative to other methods. I've rarely heard anyone put the stress the otherway--if HTML/CSS is so easy and so cheap to author in and is always the best way for anyone to create any kind of content--then why does anyone use anything else? As to whether or not it is easier to read a PDF online: I stress that now as a portfolio item the content in question is not intended to be 'read/used' in its present form the same way it was when these documents were 'live' and in actual use--we are not his old clients and don't care about the minutiae of these particular website architecture and flow diagrams--we mostly want to know that he has and, more importantly, can produce such diagrams for us in the future if we decide to interview and/or hire him for our projects. |
| Wed 21 Aug 14:38 | Ron Zeno | There are a number of inexpensive (and even free) programs that create PDF files. Has anyone bothered to try to create a PDF file designed to be displayed online (i.e. choosing appropriate fonts, margins, column-widths, etc.)? |
| Wed 21 Aug 15:24 | MICK | You also have to take into account audience. Who's going to be looking at this portfolio, most likely a creative director at a design firm looking for a print designer. It's been my experience that a CD at a print design firm has a better change of being familiar with acrobat then s/he does an internet browser. |
| Wed 21 Aug 15:32 | John S. Rhodes | MadMan writes: 'PDF is NOT cheap. I need to have a copy of Adobe Acrobat before I can export as PDF. How is that cheap?' Ron writes: 'There are a number of inexpensive (and even free) programs that create PDF files.' My response... Creating Acrobat PDF files without Acrobat and for free Creating PDF files on Windows without paying for Adobe Acrobat Creating PDFs in Windows — Without Acrobat ...however, please remember that 'free' does not mean easy. |
| Wed 21 Aug 15:48 | Dimitry | As long as we're on the subject of 'free', Mac OSX natively (and easily) supports PDF output from the PRINT command in any app. It comes down which is easier: hitting the print command or the learning curve to becoming a proficient HTML/CSS programmer along with all the attendent browser compatibility issues. Until 'publishing' accurate HTML/CSS is as easy as hitting print from your favorite app--there will always be a use for technologies like PDF. |
| Wed 21 Aug 17:27 | Lincolnlog | I only dislike PDFs when the content could/should have been presented in HTML. But in Dan Brown's case, I think he made a good decision. The images are posters, and the Acrobat Reader allows you to easily see close-up or whole-page views with a single button click. And Mick (above) is right: the target audience of Art Directors will have Flash and Acrobat already installed, or else they wouldn't be able to do their jobs. |
| Wed 21 Aug 17:45 | Dan | PDFs aren't evil. *I'm* evil. (Especially now that I work for the government.) Are the colors on my portfolio page evil? Yes they are. Sorry. I pretend to be good at thinking about information structures. I do NOT pretend to be good at thinking about color. Are PDFs evil? Maybe. I used Visio (evil!) to produce the documentation which, as suggested by Dimitry, was meant to be printed and presented to a client. It was easiest to get my portfolio online by converting them to PDF. When I was interviewing, I always brought printed copies with me. (The CONTENT of the PDFs are most certainly NOT evil.) Can anyone export to PDF? Yes, even me. (Though I did have to buy the software.) Is PowerPoint evil? Maybe. I'm thinking about writing an article on the use of powerpoint for IA deliverables... In the case of the deliverable posted to my portfolio, it made sense to do it in PowerPoint. I won't belabor the point here, but if you're interested, drop me a line. What isn't evil? Pretty much every tool (PDF, PowerPoint, Flash, Visio) has its ups and downs. The message that came out of the 'Flash 99% Bad' was that it wasn't necessarily the tool, it was how it was applied. Also, Dimitry is not evil. Last question: Did I use the tools inappropriately? Maybe. I'm notorious for finding anything BUT a hammer to drive nails. (I am evil, after all). Please share your own portfolios! Presenting printed content online is not a challenge I face alone! -- Dan |
| Wed 21 Aug 20:50 | Dimitry | Dan's true nature was only revealed to me after re-reading the last post backwards. It's not the Powerpoint. Dan really is evil. |
| experience working with HCI folk | Tue 20 Aug |
| (Joel on Software Forum) Id be interested to hear if any of you have experience working with usability or interaction design professionals, and whether you felt their input was valuable or not and any difficulties you had working with them. Im not interested in uninformed opinion or starting a religious war. Id just like to hear from people who have actually worked with usability folk on significant projects. |
| Tue 20 Aug 08:54 | Nevermind | As a usability person myself, mostly doing UI design, I've had the recent opportunity to work with external usability consultants conducting usability testing of our products. All in all, I think the work has been good and the product owners (with whom I work) have been pleased with the results. The interaction with users has been conducted professionally and the reporting has been thorough with some useful recommendations. There are a couple of things that have definitely displeased me though. 1) One consultant seems to feel comfortable enough to constantly make political commentary (always irrelevant) whenever possible. I have personally been offended by a number of these comments and have bitten my tongue on several occasions. I don't know how all the product owners who attend the testing feel about this but I think it is unprofessional in the extreme. 2) Consultants who don't seem to listen to our suggestions for conducting the usability tests or who seem to ignore comments pertaining to the methodology used. I've asked a consultant on a few occasions to make a change only to see it ignored. (I've forgiven this consultant or not said anything as I realize that the consultant is extremely busy). In any case, this has rubbed me the wrong way. I think there might be a tendency on the part of consultants to become defensive and to appear less than fully-informed when suggestions for how they might recruit or run a test are put forward. Another thing I've become aware of is how useless our videotaping of sessions with VHS tapes are. Though a couple of developers actually watch some tapes of the sessions, I've seen in the past how powerful 'highlight' videos of tests can be and the fact that these are so time-consuming and expensive to do make it difficult to justify or pay for someone to put these together. Does anyone have suggestions for better video-capture equipment and software (oh, and relatively inexpensive and easy-to-use) for testing? Perhaps DVD? This is the sort of thing that is a bit difficult to justify but I know from my own experience in the past that such videos can really sell the benefits of usability or the horror of the lack thereof. |
| Tue 20 Aug 10:41 | Ron Zeno | 1) One consultant seems to feel comfortable enough to constantly make political commentary (always irrelevant) whenever possible. I've seen similar (and worse) unprofessional conduct in a number of consultants. Unfortunately, it's not uncommon in the world of self-proclaimed consultants. 2) Consultants who don't seem to listen to our suggestions for conducting the usability tests or who seem to ignore comments pertaining to the methodology used. This is to be expected. Consultants must do this to meet their goals of cost, time, scope, and quality. Does anyone have suggestions for better video-capture equipment and software (oh, and relatively inexpensive and easy-to-use) for testing? No, I don’t think such a solution exists (yet). This topic comes up every year or so on the relevant discussion lists. Many consultants join in to promote themselves, but they are unwilling to divulge the specifics on how their solutions are better. |
| Tue 20 Aug 12:27 | JB | My concern, from the business perspective, is that there is so much research out here today that paints a picture of confusion about the level of expertise and accuracy of the calls that UI/HE/HF consultants make. I guess this is because, we the business people, don't ask for ROI based results. We just say look at my site and provide feedback. The problem is when I ask for a cause and effect kind of approach I get the standard waffle about how this is an arcane art born of evil spells and black magic..... so where does it end...or where does it start…… So do I feel the output is valuable...yes, but! - I take it with a grain of salt and never use the consultants as the only guide for making decision. |
| Wed 21 Aug 01:13 | Lyle Kantrovich | Okay, looks like so far I'm the only HCI person who is willing to respond in the JOS Discussion Forum. I didn't really think it was a fair question, as you'll see in my response. (Scroll down a ways or do a 'Find' for 'Lyle', no way to link directly to my comments.) Joel on Software rocks. I particularly liked a post he wrote on bloatware and usability. |
| Wed 21 Aug 04:02 | sherlock_yoda | Lyle - good point. Perhaps the question did invite the responses I received. It was a spur of the moment question, which perhaps required more consideration. However, sometimes I like to post in haste and just see what happens. This may seem impulsive, but if you see some of the other dross on Joel's formum you'll see I'm far from being the only one (I'm not slagging Joel's site here - I too believe it rocks) Sherlock |
| Wed 21 Aug 07:01 | Alastair Campbell | It's fairly obvious where the usability people came into the conversation: my comment is just above Lyle's, and someone else followed on. It would be interesting if some of the first posters replied, but it seems unlikely because I couldn't find the thread when going through the site. I had to come back to webword to find it! |
| Wed 21 Aug 09:02 | Mac | I would like to see more open discussions between HCI folk and programmers, as it's the only way we're going to produce better systems. nevermind as an alternative to expensive highlight tapes of usability sessions you could think about 'performance highlights' where two team members who have seen the sessions put together a five minute re-enactment that illustrates the main problems (and successes). I have used this method a number of times, and if the performers get into their roles it can be very useful and entertaining. |
| Wed 21 Aug 10:19 | Ron Zeno | looks like so far I'm the only HCI person (from Lyle) Other than the two just before Lyle's. I post now and then. Are there complete archives somewhere? I like how you turned the question back on the programmers, Lyle! I particularly liked a post he wrote on bloatware and usability. Where Joel cites '20%' without any reference to where it comes from? You're falling for his propaganda! I've actually run large-scale usage studies on word processors which show the exact opposite of what Joel cites. I've emailed Joel and posted to his discussion group before, 'over both the short-term and long-term studies less than 50% of the features of the word processor were used total. More importantly, a common set of less than 35% of the features were all that over 80% of the people used.' (Joel has never responded.) And then Joel generalizes it beyond word processors as well... It's not completely Joel's fault. He's just repeating propaganda from Microsoft, masters of propaganda. As far as anyone knows, Microsoft is supporting their '20%' by misinterpretating research on the usage of features in UNIX operating system. (Wonderfully ironic!) |
| Wed 21 Aug 12:40 | Nevermind | Mac, that is an interesting idea. In my mind at least, the power of the highlights tape is that these are actual users. 'Actors' are at least one step removed and therefore, I think the project managers would give this less weight. Maybe not, though. Interesting idea... Thanks. |
| Wed 21 Aug 15:49 | Mac | We once did a 3 minute sketch of a user who just couldn't get past the first screen of an app. No words, just sat there looking worried and fretful. The developers accused us of exaggerating and were incredulous when we said the user actually sat there for 10 minutes before giving up and then rating the app as 'excellent'. Design as Theatre in action... |
| Wed 21 Aug 18:57 | Lyle Kantrovich | Hmm...while I should have maybe recognized a few folks names/handles, I guess I didn't think the responses reflected a very 'pro usability' attitude. Re-reading them now I can hear a different tone, but on first read they seemed largely negative. Question: As a group, how do 'usability folks' engage in online debate without negative impact to the general public/business perception of usability practitioners? If we're airing our dirty laundry, doesn't that just help people take issue with us in general? My reaction to Sherlock's question was to defend usability as a field, rather than highlight issues experienced working with individuals in that field... The same overall rationale is why I try not to throw many barbs at Nielsen and other very visible usability folk -- even if they deserve it at times. Hmm...maybe I should change my moniker to 'Lyle - Usability PR Department' |
| Wed 21 Aug 19:09 | Alastair Campbell | You could be right there Lyle, I sometimes find it difficult to switch from an 'inter-usability' mode (like here, and on usability lists), to an 'extra-usability' mode (to everyone else). Perhaps it's a reaction to usability as a buzzword: I tend to think that there is no one panacea to web/product development, just methods and skills. Some more useful than others depending on the situation. |
| Wed 21 Aug 20:27 | Ron Zeno | how do 'usability folks' engage in online debate without negative impact to the general public/business perception of usability practitioners? - Lyle Good questions. There is at least one private discussion group specifically for this purpose. As for the negative impact, it's a matter of perspective and intent... |
| What is the Tipping Point? | Wed 21 Aug |
| Its a book about change. In particular, its a book that presents a new way of understanding why change so often happens as quickly and as unexpectedly as it does. |
| Wed 21 Aug 16:38 | Mac | 'A world that follows the rules of epidemics is a very different place from the world we think we live in now' - From Book I have only read the extracts and heard about this book, but I hope it doesn't just take this simple analogy and then try and apply it to everything. There's a lot of this going on at the moment, with many things being explained by 'evolutionary psychology', with the argument that things are not under our control at all, so we shouldn't take any responsibility for anything, or try to change it. Of course, as I haven't read the book, I could be wrong. But, I didn't think anyone would want to wait six months for a more informed review. |
| Why Doc Searls Doesn't Sell Any Books | Sun 18 Aug |
| (Jakob Nielsen, 6-Aug-2000) In the long term, Amazon is going to lose its current special status and will have to compete on an equal footing with other sites. Reputation managers will eliminate the marketing advantage Amazon enjoys from its brand. Web wallets will eliminate the usability advantage Amazon enjoys from one-click shopping. |
| Mon 19 Aug 00:23 | John S. Rhodes | MadMan, I second the motion! There is definitely a need for such a page. |
| Mon 19 Aug 00:40 | Jack Schonchin | So Filbert has found font-size controls. Woo hoo. He's only a couple years late in giving us this advice. We needed it back before Z-man began convincing people that forced-size fonts are the way to go. Filbert is too often behind the times. He's not leading the way any more. |
| Mon 19 Aug 00:44 | John S. Rhodes | I'm waiting for Uncle Jakob™ to start talking about Deep Postings, Recursive Blogs, Longitudinal Usability, Perceived Information Architecture, and other ideas found at WebWord. I'll laugh my butt off. |
| Mon 19 Aug 05:39 | Joseph Wise | For a perspective on the 'web wallets' you may enjoy: Federated identities create new security risks (David Strom) http://extreme.ziffdavis.com/cgi-bin10/flo?y=eRhs0DwxhU0FBU0pqj0Au |
| Mon 19 Aug 09:02 | Mac | MadMan, I shall take up your proposal and create a 'Nostrodamus of the Usability World' page. I think we should include examples of usability type predictions from Uncle Filbert and anyone else who comes to mind. I will gratefully accept suggestions and will aim to get a page up in the next two weeks. |
| Mon 19 Aug 09:34 | John S. Rhodes | Mac, I no longer wish to Damn Your Eyes! ;-) User Payments: Predictions for 2001 Revisited -- 'Advertising-supported websites will soon be a thing of the past. As I predicted a year ago, sites began charging for services in 2001. Although most sites are still not handling payments right, two innovative European projects hold much hope for 2002.' (Comments: Umm, no. Plenty of sites still rely on advertising. They are not a thing of the past. Not yet!) (OK, something funny here...check out this quote from this page: 'Acknowledging that Web advertising is not a sufficient business model, several famous websites have announced that they will start charging subscription fees later in 1998. Unfortunately, subscriptions are not a good idea on the Web.' Seems to directly contradict the quote above. He has 'hope' that subscriptions will work. Oh boy, an excellent contradiction!) The Reputation Manager -- 'Initially, I expect reputation managers to become embedded in proxy servers for large corporations and offered as a value-added service by larger Internet Service Providers.' (Comments: Um, good idea I guess. But, reputation managers are not here yet, certainly not at the proxy server level! Maybe, just maybe, reputation managers are happening. You decide. But serious, do you think they will cause a 'renaissance for good customer service'? Really?) Something else to chew on...at least Uncle Jakob™ sometimes reviews his predictions. He doesn't always ignore what he has said in the past. OK, that's all I have time for right now. Thanks again Mac!! |
| Mon 19 Aug 09:42 | John S. Rhodes | I'm also waiting for Uncle Jakob™ to start talking about netchecking. Seems like something he would like to take credit for... |
| Mon 19 Aug 11:04 | MadMan | Another 'famous predictions' page should be for figures arbitrarily spun by these 'research' agencies like Forrestor, Gartner, etc. Somebody should hold them accountable for the stupid numbers they keep tossing out. Y2K meltdown, anyone? |
| Mon 19 Aug 12:16 | Jack Schonchin | MadMan, don't even joke about Y2K. On January 1, my Pac-Man digital watch reset all my high scores. I can't achieve those scores again. The buttons are long since broken. And even if they worked, the arthritis in my fingers would prevent me from reliving the former glory of my teenage years. Y2K rocked my ass, so stuff it. |
| Mon 19 Aug 13:01 | JB | I think sometimes JN wants to play the seer.... looking into the future and making predictions - and that is brave of him. What he needs to do, though, for credibility’s sake is revisit his 'big calls' and try and explain why things have or have not worked. This way you can continue to make the 'big calls' but show that you are not always right and you are big enough to analyze why. |
| Mon 19 Aug 13:41 | Ron Zeno | This way you can continue to make the 'big calls' but show that you are not always right and you are big enough to analyze why. Go JB! I find all this Nielsen-bashing to be highly hypocritical and self-serving. Each round of bashing is a clear demonstration of usability specialists living up to their reputations of being prone to criticism and little else. JB has it right. If you cannot analyze your own work, especially mistakes, you don't have much credibility. |
| Mon 19 Aug 14:04 | Lydia | I disagree, Ron. This is about the opportunity to bash. Understandably, people in the usability community feel they have to keep their mouth shut about anyone else in the business, lest anyone take offense or interpret it as a weakness in the practice itself. But, there comes a time when the 'bigger than Jesus' thing gets tired, and he deserves a good kick up the ass for it. No one is saying he's an asshole - they're just pointing out that he is just a man, despite the 'guru' title and disproportionate amount of attention. |
| Mon 19 Aug 14:30 | JB | Ron That is what I think JN is starting to suffer from now. It always happens within an industry- your peers nail you first and then the wider community. I think for JN sake, he can make the 'big calls' but then for the entire profession go back and critically analyze what he has prophesized. |
| Mon 19 Aug 14:30 | John S. Rhodes | I bash my own work all of the time. I also repeatedly open myself up to criticism in the community. I also show that I am ignorant and need help. Because of this, I feel that it is fair to openly discuss what others are doing. If you don't like what I say, tell me why and we'll work things out. It you like what I say, explain that too. The point is to learn and expand our knowledge, to push the boundaries. It is also to reflect on what works and what does not work. Some of what we say, or even most of what we say, is trivial. But, there are nuggets of wisdom. Some of the best comments come forth when we discuss what other people do right and do wrong. It just so happens that our friend Jakob Nielsen is a lightning rod and attracts many comments. Go Jakob! Ultimately, we all benefit. Jakob gets even more publicity, we discuss the topics at hand, and we all mature. Usability matures. That's how it works, in my opinion. |
| Mon 19 Aug 16:03 | MadMan | The truth is that we all tell ourselves, 'that bastard Uncle Jakob™ is making $20000 a day for work that I could do just as well, if not better. It's a fucked world.' And when someone charging $20000 per day is so obviously flawed just like most of us, well, we feel angry, upset, and like to sock it to him. Now tell me I'm wrong. |
| Mon 19 Aug 16:12 | JB | MadMan is he making 20k a day...or is that what he charges? |
| Mon 19 Aug 16:31 | Ron Zeno | we discuss the topics at hand, and we all mature Where is the discussion? Where is the maturity? someone charging $20000 per day is so obviously flawed Are you talking about the person, or the information presented by that person? |
| Mon 19 Aug 16:59 | MadMan | JB, 'making' refers to what he charges. Nevertheless, I'm sure you'll agree that it's a very profitable thing. Ron: Where is the discussion? Where is the maturity? I try to refrain from pointless posts, and to give concrete arguments. I can't speak for others. someone charging $20000 per day is so obviously flawed Are you talking about the person, or the information presented by that person? I suppose that on a philosophical level, we're all flawed in some way. I was, however, referring to Nielsen's conclusions, postulates, and the occasional nonsensical opinion column. I clearly have no way of knowing what kind of person Nielsen is in real life. |
| Mon 19 Aug 18:50 | Jack Schonchin | I clearly have no way of knowing what kind of person Nielsen is in real life. Maybe that's what we need. Filbert should hold a usability dinner. Only $3000 a plate. $5000 with autographed photo and dancing afterward. It will be a Dinner World Tour, coming to your town soon. |
| Wed 21 Aug 15:34 | Uncle Jakob | I am the Guru, all bow down before me: |
| Still 99% Bad... and proud of it | Tue 20 Aug |
| (Waffle) If this weeks Macromedia Site of the Week on its Asia/Pacific portal is any indication, then Jakob Nielsons appointment as usability advisor to the company has had zero impact on Macromedias resolve to change its usabilty spots zero, zip, nadda, nyet. And as I secretly suspected all along was just a clever rouse to get Jakob to shut up about the Flash 99% Bad thing. |
| Tue 20 Aug 12:11 | JB | Ok I will avoid the entire Filbert/Macro relationship thing and get straight to the point.... Flash is not bad, the designers that used this have no idea how to design and develop using flash. It is a shame that flash is getting bashed as this is just a poor implementation of a good web development tool.... oh and Macro should not be holding this up as a poster child for flash use – do they not understand the concept of brand and brand equity. |
| Tue 20 Aug 12:41 | MadMan | Flash isn't bad by default, but when Macromedia decides to promote such loser sites as examples of exemplary work, you can't blame people for thinking that Macromedia considers Flash as primarily a tool for creating, well, flashy pages without substance. Seriously, asking people to register before even entering a site? That's the height of stupidity. Just who are the people at Macromedia judging these sites of the week? They seem to have no real world knowledge at all. Morons. |
| Tue 20 Aug 14:16 | (the other) JS | Look at http://www.spark-online.com/issue34/media-romano.html A little variety on the bad thing. Still 99% though. Ah for the days when Sturgeon's Law limited the bad to only 90%. Was there some deregulation thing I'm not aware of, of is technology different -- in a bad way. |
| Wed 21 Aug 09:22 | Jack Schonchin | I looked at it. Did you want me to read it? Maybe the author should have used a descriptive title or subhead, or posted a summary at the top. I read the first sentence and still didn't know the subject matter. *click* |
| Wed 21 Aug 13:21 | CHris | It's been said before: http://www.flazoom.com/news/scapegoat_11012000.shtml CHris |
| WebWord Comment | Tue 20 Aug |
| MadMan told me to take a look at the funky DHTML being used on holovaty.com when you click on any comments link. Very slick! Do you like it or not? Why? |
| Tue 20 Aug 20:05 | JB | It is a nice gimmick, but it adds comments into the box. so if you had 15 comments they would, I assume, mean that you would have to scroll all the way down to post a comment AND I don't know how you close a box without posting. |
| Tue 20 Aug 20:12 | TimW | AND I don't know how you close a box without posting. Just click the comments link that opened the box.. Cool... but, my only concern would be bandwidth... since you are downloading the comments if you want them or not... |
| Tue 20 Aug 20:21 | Ari Bancale | The interface is cool, I'm all for interfaces that don't send you to another window with minimum (if any) degradation of the experience. Intuitively, I just re-clicked on the Comments link to deactivate the comments window. Thinking back, I can't figure out how my finger knew to click again. Maybe other people would know to click again if the link was on more.../less... or ^/v choice. |
| Tue 20 Aug 21:49 | Jack Schonchin | I do not like it. When I click the link it shoots down the comments listing, obscuring other page content - with no clear toggle to make it go away. (I didn't say no toggle, I said no clear toggle). More importantly, if there are several comments, the chances are good that they will not fit within my active window - forcing me to scroll. If it were a regular link that loaded a new page, I would be looking at the information at the top of a new page where I expect it, and it would take many more comments before I need to scroll. In the words of Mr. T, 'Got no time for jibba jabba. Don't make me scroll, fool!' |
| Tue 20 Aug 22:47 | Adrian Holovaty | I appreciate the comments, guys. Here's a bit of background/explanation. Concerning the issue of labeling it clearly: Do you really think it's that big of a deal? I'm as nitpicky as they come, but it seems to me that's a nitpick for the sense of nitpicking. I've always thought it very obvious, and so have the people who I tested it with. I'd be interested in hearing more opinions, though. Here's one thing to think about. Why would you *want* to close the comments in the first place? This is a blog, for goshsake. Concerning the issue of bandwidth: Comments are only preloaded for blog entries that have 4 or fewer comments. If there are more than 4 comments, my site brings up a new page, instead. If you still argue that's wasted bandwidth, I'll point to the fact that my site uses a completely CSS-based layout and *zero* non-content-related images. It's quick-loading as all hell. (And accessible in all browsers.) Besides, anything's better than pop-up windows for comments. I can't *stand* those... |
| Tue 20 Aug 23:36 | TimW | Concerning the issue of labeling it clearly: Do you really think it's that big of a deal? I don't think its a big deal.. but a simple text 'close' link in the upp right of the box would solve it and not really get in the way.. Here's one thing to think about. Why would you *want* to close the comments in the first place? This is a blog, for goshsake. Good point, but it just keeps the page simple looking without the comments... I can read your first entry, read the comments on it.. close it and I'm ready for the next entry.. leaving it open makes my brain feel like I'm not done with it. Concerning the issue of bandwidth: Comments are only preloaded for blog entries that have 4 or fewer comments. If there are more than 4 comments, my site brings up a new page, instead. Slick... didn't notice that.. If you |