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Whose Fault Is It When Your Web Site Visitors Get Lost?  

:: Thursday, September 15, 2005 ::

The annoying thing about FLASH technology is that it makes the FLASH developer feel intoxicated by their creative brilliance, but leaves the people who have to use their masterpiece feel like stupid idiots.

Case in point is a cleverly artistic site brought to the attention of the Cre8asiteForums community in a thread called Does this website score high with you on Usability?

As one member declares:

"The visitor gets blamed for not being as clever or having the same needs as the designers. Yikes, what arrogance, this "I'm the center of YOUR universe" attitude on their part."

Another thinks keeping FLASH developers in their cocoon's is better for all of us in the long run.

"I love flash sites like this, as it keeps the people who are making them happy, and also keeps them away from good search engine ratings, repeat visitors, and generally makes sure they will never make any impact on the net whatsoever apart from amongst those they are trying to impress."

Of course, not everyone agrees that FLASH is the end of good web design or all logical, considerate thought. For example, whom a site is designed for is the deciding factor, not whether or not everybody on the planet finds it usable.

So, the next time you get lost on someone's web site, you must realize that it wasn't built for you, and move on. (Related item: 10 Reasons Clients Don't Care About Accessibility)

Speaking of not intended for everyone, Apple's latest iPod is wafer thin and smaller than a business card. Like I'm going to spend $300 on something my kids are going to lose in an hour. Are they NUTS?

How To Build User Centered Web Sites

Lest you think everyone has lost their minds to the thrill of pushing the design envelope, Ben Hunt (aka "Scratch") arrives on the scene with his much-anticipated course called Web Design from Scratch Live.

Ben has been planning this one day event (soon to become a traveling series he hopes) for weeks. The first official gathering is 07 November 2005 in Chesterfield, England. It's affordable (£295 (including VAT) and there's free parking (always appreciated.) Web site analysis is included and you get a pre-publication copy of "Web Design from Scratch - the Book"!

"The course is designed for everyone involved in creating or running web sites, who will benefit from knowing how to make sites that really work."

Even if you can't make the course, a visit to Web Design from Scratch is a must for anyone who wishes to learn all they can. Ben's web design tutorials are some of the best educational sources on the Internet.

Getting Lost is a Big Deal

Even for Microsoft, who have decided to change the user interface for Microsoft Office

And, in the "Nobody Cares Kim" Department

There's a weird tradition in the tiny community where I live in an American countryside. To help raise money for our kids' Pop Warner football league, we hold a Cow Chip festival. Cre8pc.com is a sponsor of the 130 pound team, which my son plays for, so that means I purchased lots of deeds.

A deed is green piece of paper with a number on it. That number is assigned to a box in a grid, marked with painted lines, on the football practice field. This is where a local farmer brings over a cow and for several hours we all watch her roam around the grid, hoping she'll go potty on one of the squares. If it happens to be your square, that own the deed for, you win thousands of dollars.

It sounds boring, but last year, "White Face", the cow, broke out of the roped off grid and went chasing after the spectators for a few minutes. Country-living does have its positive moments.

:: posted by Kim Krause Berg on 9/15/2005 11:12:00 AM

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