May 26
Jakob Nielsen Says Web Users Got Too Selfish
My (once) favourite BBC News site has published a very intriguing article about the evolution of the web user. It basically contains the result of (what is obviously) a very competent research, concluding that web users “ignore efforts to make them linger and are suspicious of promotions designed to hold their attention”:
“Web users have always been ruthless and now are even more so,” said Dr Nielsen. “People want sites to get to the point, they have very little patience,” he said.
Of course, Dr. Nielsen is the infamous Jakob Nielsen, the father of usability zealotry. Remember the times when those folks were preaching that the web is all about strict code and glossy semantics? Some people still cannot overcome this disease, although I’m happy to report that most of the Web 2.0 is aware of the simple fact that without quality information, the pretty code is just a machine porn, or at least - a kitschy nonsense, separating effort from purpose like God split Heaven and Hell to make place for this sinful Earth. On which people like Jakob Nielsen get born, eat, sleep and ultimately - die.
But where was I? Oh, right - the selfishness of web users. It seems that Doctor Nielson complains people are not that adventurous as they used to be. They want what they are looking for, they want it fast, and they are impatient. Every psychologist would confirm that, however Jakob Nielsen simply didn’t make the effort to ask one. Instead, he views this tendency as something close to negative, comparing it to “ruthlessness”.
Yes, web users today are “ruthless” - because they finally managed to catch up and learn what the web is all about. The times when every Regular Joe used to click twice on every blinking banner offering 1,000,000 $ are passé. Moreover, the advanced users like me, who want to be informed about new products only when they feel they need to, are using plug-ins like AdBlock to prevent the loading of those swarms of blinking flash banners, which ruin the quality of our web experience and drain the juice from our bandwidths. The comfort days of all those advertisers and “fishers of men” are numbered. Even if someone finds a way to beam crap directly into my brain I’ll find the plug-in to block it. You’ve been warned!
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