Change vs. Stabilty in Web Usability Guidelines

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Change vs. Stabilty in Web Usability Guidelines

• A Summary of
• Jakob Nielsens Article
• By John Maffei

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Summary

• A remarkable 80 of findings from Web usability
  studies in the 1990s continue to hold today

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Changes in Web Usability 1994-1997

• Original paper written 10 years ago
• Some findings no longer valid after 3 years
• Most findings still true today
• First study tested 5 sites with 3 users
• Web currently has 120 million sites

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Designing Web UsabilityThe Practice of
Simplicity - 1999

• Based on tests of 100 websites with 200 users
• Are the results from the book still valid?

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Prioritizing Web Usability

• Latest book
• Latest findings based on 831 websites with 2744
  users in 16 countries
• Identified 1000 new guildlines

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Prioritizing Web Usability

• Evaluates each of the earlier guidelines
• No Skulls no longer a problem
• 1 Skull minor issue
• 2 Skulls medium impact usability problems
• 3 Skulls major problems

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Why Guidelines Change
Fate of Web usability guidelines from the 1990s.
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Conclusions of Chart

• More than half of findings in 1990s remain
• 10 of issues have been resolved via technology
• More skulls removed due to behavior than
  technology
• Most skulls removed due to designers restraint
• Splash screens

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Stability of Usability Guidlines

• 80 of Web usability insights from 1990s are
  still potential problems
• Problems still an issue
• Problems relaxed due to designer restraint

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Learning From History

• Enemies of usability never give up
• Usability advocates were right in the past but
  now they are wrong
• 1995 - enemies said user testing was a solution
• 2000 - said guidelines good for static sites only
• Now maybe right about early flash problems but
  web 2.0 will revolutionize everything
• 2012 predict same people will say guidelines
  dont fit the fancy new stuff

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References

• http//www.useit.com/alertbox/guidelines-change.ht
  ml
• http//www.useit.com/alertbox/9712a.html
• http//www.useit.com/jakob/webusability/
• http//www.nngroup.com/reports/
• http//www.useit.com/prioritizing/
• http//www.useit.com/alertbox/design_priorities.ht
  ml
• http//www.useit.com/alertbox/20050117.html
• http//www.useit.com/alertbox/20001029.html
• http//www.nngroup.com/events/tutorials/usability.
  html
• http//www.nngroup.com/events/