Warmest Greetings,

Getting Caught With Your Web Site Usability Zipper Wide Open  

:: Wednesday, October 19, 2005 ::

I purposely don't read every Alertbox article shipped off to the Internet by Jakob Nielsen, because his commandments are not specifically business or requirements-based per project kind of advice.

My good friend and co-Administrator at Cre8asiteForums, Bill Slawski, illustrates how beautifully many of the most popular blogs do indeed break a rule or three, from the latest "Top 10 Mistakes" list produced for our reading arousal from Mr. Nielsen.

In Does your blog pass the Jakob Nielsen test?, jumping directly to Bill's scorecard post, Bill takes each of the 10 blogging design "mistakes" from the latest Alertbox list and does some checking around for validation of proof. Here is one of the examples:

JNQuote:
Descriptive headlines are especially important for representing your weblog in search engines, newsfeeds (RSS), and other external environments. In those contexts, users often see only the headline and use it to determine whether to click into the full posting.

Bill's response:
I'd like to know What's in Rebecca's Pocket, but you sort of have to actually read the posts, because one of the web's finest bloggers doesn't use titles for her posts. And she hasn't used titles since 1999 on her blog. And people read those posts, even without the titles.

Even more to the point:

Bill writes, "There's this great quote at the top of Rebecca Blood's blog right now that reads like this:

Quote:
Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity. — General George S. Patton""

Of all the public complaints written about Jakob Nielsen, there is one thing we can't deny. For two days I've been plowing through my many usability-themed feeds. In fact, every other post or headline covered the Weblog Usability: The Top Ten Design Mistakes. That's links, traffic and fame out the gazoo for the man.

Why?

Because whenever he sends off a Don't Do This list, everyone looks to see if their zipper is down. He's figured out how to play the "I don't want to be caught with my pants down" card and tens of thousands of web site workers fall for it every time.

:: posted by Kim Krause Berg on 10/19/2005 12:16:00 PM

:: Today's Post Permalink | Back to the BLOG Home
:: Website Evaluations
:: Email this Post  
:.................................

Feed Bin

Learn how to make RSS Feed Buttons

Highly Recommended!
(Read review)
Search Engine Marketing Kit, by Dan Thies

• User Centered Design
• Usability Industry Research
• Increase Website Conversions
• Starter Ecommerce Checklist

• Web Design & The Usability Effect
• Usability and SEO Humor

Crooked sunglasses

My artistic friends love this picture.

• About Kim Krause Berg
• My Articles
• Me Again (My Fave Blog Posts)
• August 2005 : Expanding on Usability - An Interview with Kim Krause Berg
• Kim's Wish List

Recent Posts

Why Bother With Blog Usability When It's Really Just Another SEO Tool?

Last Call for Your 25% SEO Seminar Discount

Beauty and The Beast Web Site Designs (The Beast Sells!)

Cre8asiteForums Offers Registration Discount to High Rankings Marketing Seminar

Webnauts Launches Accessibility Forums

End-User Usability and Nit-Picky Web Design

Headline Shouting and A Bit of a Garden Theme Today

If God Had a Whiteboard and A User Centered Design Team

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

The Usability and Creative Freedom of an About Me Page

Monthly Archives

It's That Book Again

Conversions Topic is New York Times Best Seller (Seriously)

Kim is a Member of the Usability Professionals Association

"This report exceeded my expectations. After reading it a few times, I went through and highlighted those parts of your actionable advice that I want to implement right away... I ended up highlighting most of the report. Stellar job. I won't hesitate to recommend you to one of my own clients." -- Andy Hagans of AndyHagans.com

"I have implemented the most obvious changes and I suppose the fact that we've seen an immediate increase in sales/conversions is no coincidence. I'd highly recommend your service to anyone running a serious web based business." -- Steve Clay, Plumeriabay.com

"As soon as we get our hands on one of her usability studies, my clients and I have a better understanding of what needs to be done with their sites to make them the best they can be from their site visitors' perspective."
-- Jill Whalen, HighRankings.com

"This is an exemplary piece of work." -- Rand Fishkin, SEOMoz.org

View more Testimonials | Clients
Learn about Website improvement services.