Usability: Alertbox about What Really Counts
In today's alertbox Jakob Nielsen summarises what really matters: "Offering clear content, simple navigation, and answers to customer questions have the biggest impact on business value. Advanced technology matters much less."
He theorises about why the jazzy technology tends to steal the limelight and appear much more important than everday usability concerns:"As the saying goes, "man bites dog" gets press coverage, but "dog bites man" doesn't. Yet, if you're in charge of prioritizing health system resources, you should invest in helping humans who've been bitten by dogs. A clinic to cure dogs that have been bitten by humans would stand empty most of the time. That the main usability guidelines have remained constant for ten years is no reason to ignore them: it's a reason to believe that they have durable value and relate to deep human needs."
He theorises about why the jazzy technology tends to steal the limelight and appear much more important than everday usability concerns:"As the saying goes, "man bites dog" gets press coverage, but "dog bites man" doesn't. Yet, if you're in charge of prioritizing health system resources, you should invest in helping humans who've been bitten by dogs. A clinic to cure dogs that have been bitten by humans would stand empty most of the time. That the main usability guidelines have remained constant for ten years is no reason to ignore them: it's a reason to believe that they have durable value and relate to deep human needs."