Friday, November 2, 2007
sensible guy
"Creating mulitmedia is far more costly and time-consuming than creating static illustrations, so when you're choosing between the two , opt for the most time-and cost-efficient format...." This statement is very practical and very sensible and I get it. I think he makes a good point and this is definetely a good guide for making a website for the most part. But sometimes I wonder is this Nielsen guy completely void of emotion. It seems as though everything he talks about is straightforward but where is the fun in designing a site. I understand that too much mulitmedia is not good but I think websites need a little bit of excitment to them, I just hope that there is a chapter on creating a fun website. lol
Nielsen Annoys Me...
I am so sick of this man, can we please find another book? How about the last Harry Potter book?
In all seriousness, Nielsen's complaints have been getting to me. It might be because I am (self proclaimed) good with computers and technology, but the only reason why I know so much is because I realized early on that the computer will not explode when you press the wrong button. I don't give everyone the credit of being able to teach themselves how to use new technology, but when it comes to websites, its simply about exploring the site. However; Nielsen seems to think if a websites doesn't follow a traditional method, it's useless.
If we are to believe Nielsen's findings then we all need to create the most uninteresting and simplistic web sites on the internet. Granted, I believe people need hand-holding techniques even to get through their everyday lives, but must we cater to them? Do we have to stifle our creativity because someone is using a dial-up connection? I do agree with some of what he said about flash intro and repeating music, but to say "stick with familiar conventions" and "detect user bandwidth" doesn't work for me.
As designers, we have to find a niche in the world by displaying our work in a useful and interesting way. Compare web design to architecture; there are methods to built it but our design is the way to make it stand out.
In all seriousness, Nielsen's complaints have been getting to me. It might be because I am (self proclaimed) good with computers and technology, but the only reason why I know so much is because I realized early on that the computer will not explode when you press the wrong button. I don't give everyone the credit of being able to teach themselves how to use new technology, but when it comes to websites, its simply about exploring the site. However; Nielsen seems to think if a websites doesn't follow a traditional method, it's useless.
If we are to believe Nielsen's findings then we all need to create the most uninteresting and simplistic web sites on the internet. Granted, I believe people need hand-holding techniques even to get through their everyday lives, but must we cater to them? Do we have to stifle our creativity because someone is using a dial-up connection? I do agree with some of what he said about flash intro and repeating music, but to say "stick with familiar conventions" and "detect user bandwidth" doesn't work for me.
As designers, we have to find a niche in the world by displaying our work in a useful and interesting way. Compare web design to architecture; there are methods to built it but our design is the way to make it stand out.
You Caught Me
Lately, I have been spending a lot of time during lunch working on some of my homework. When I go on certain websites, music automatically starts playing. I try to always have the volume down on my computer while I am at work. Unfortunately our phone system has changed over and voice mail messages now go in to our outlook box. In order to listen to them, we have to adjust the volume on our computer.Nothing is more embarrassing then hearing theme song music, or a jingle playing loudly in front of your co-workers. "If your site has sound, make sure it starts softly and gradually gets louder, and give your users way to adjust the sound" (Nielson, Loranger pg 377).
Thursday, November 1, 2007
A Soft Spot for Nielsen
Finally I can totally understand Nielsens practice of beating things into our heads. My parents have had dial up forever and still are using it today. The only use there computer gets is my mother checking her yahoo mail once a day. I am convinced this has been the slowest computer in Connecticut for the last 8 years, but it was my only internet access throughout middle school and high school. Getting my own PC my senior year of high school was like an epiphany for me. The speed and ease of everything was amazing, until some sites started loading up with multimedia and my 400$ Dell couldn't handle it. I know what it is like to try to get one piece of information on a site and have to wait 20 minutes for it.
I do think that there should be options for the people with dial up and low speed connections, but I also believe that in a couple of years, everyone will have service that will be able to support streaming media. The price of high speed service will be widely affordable, and the sites will be able to pack on the content. I think that the points Neilsen makes in Chapter 11 are definitley valid, but I think that if someone has high hopes for a website, than multimedia needs to be present. The way we look at the Internet is changing and dial up users are going to get left in the dust.
I do think that there should be options for the people with dial up and low speed connections, but I also believe that in a couple of years, everyone will have service that will be able to support streaming media. The price of high speed service will be widely affordable, and the sites will be able to pack on the content. I think that the points Neilsen makes in Chapter 11 are definitley valid, but I think that if someone has high hopes for a website, than multimedia needs to be present. The way we look at the Internet is changing and dial up users are going to get left in the dust.
You know I love you, but your just too slow...
Remember, that jingle for cable company promoting high speed Internet?
Chapter 11 gives the example of Travelocity.com, which doesn't have an indicator to show how quickly the page is loading. I often used Priceline.com to book flights, and the indicator isn't really helpful, it looks as if it is constantly searching. This site is so slow I find myself minimizing it and working on something else...
Which sites are "worth the wait" and how long will you wait for a page to load before abort quest for more knowledge? (scandalous celebrity pictures)
Chapter 11 gives the example of Travelocity.com, which doesn't have an indicator to show how quickly the page is loading. I often used Priceline.com to book flights, and the indicator isn't really helpful, it looks as if it is constantly searching. This site is so slow I find myself minimizing it and working on something else...
Which sites are "worth the wait" and how long will you wait for a page to load before abort quest for more knowledge? (scandalous celebrity pictures)
Too much of a good thing is bad
Nielsen is right when he says too much multimedia and flash videos are bad. Not only can it be annoying, but it can also confuse the user, making it harder to reach his or her goal. One web site that uses just enough multimedia to attract the user and keep them interested is www.nbc.com. Because there are pictures and no moving or noisy videos, the site can get away with more. It is also good that the user has the option of clicking the link of the clip he or she wants to see, instead of having all of them going at once like some other sites. The homepage is attractive and eye catching without being busy and annoying for the user.
Too much multimedia = bad
I wish I could've come up with a snazzier title, but honestly, after reading Neilsen's sometimes simplistic, and sometimes repetitive work, that's all the creativity I can put forth.
It makes sense. Too much video/multimedia/sound/flash can be annoying. Over-doing a website, and having it muddled with flashing objects or blaring video can turn users away. I also understand him when he says that some users don't have machines that are hi-tech enough to handle running that level of multimedia. Yes, it makes sense. After the 2nd page.
I think that's the main problem I have with Neilsen. Sometimes I get it after page 5, yet continue to read through entire chapters only to re-read the same thing or have him hammer the same point over and over again. I don't feel this way about all his chapters, though. There have been some that I've found very informative and effective; however, when I do get to some of the chapters that seemingly have little to say, I just get frustrated that they are so long and provide so many examples when really the point is simple: too much multimedia = bad.
It makes sense. Too much video/multimedia/sound/flash can be annoying. Over-doing a website, and having it muddled with flashing objects or blaring video can turn users away. I also understand him when he says that some users don't have machines that are hi-tech enough to handle running that level of multimedia. Yes, it makes sense. After the 2nd page.
I think that's the main problem I have with Neilsen. Sometimes I get it after page 5, yet continue to read through entire chapters only to re-read the same thing or have him hammer the same point over and over again. I don't feel this way about all his chapters, though. There have been some that I've found very informative and effective; however, when I do get to some of the chapters that seemingly have little to say, I just get frustrated that they are so long and provide so many examples when really the point is simple: too much multimedia = bad.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)