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WebWord Weblog Posting Posting Date: July 22, 2002 Web sites: Usable can still be useless (ZDNet Australia) -- "Despite its ubiquity, “Web usability” is a very loosely defined concept and its relevance is still hotly debated in discussions between business executives and Web developers around the world. To add to the confusion, aficionados like Nielsen charge in the vicinity of US$35,000 for a site usability review, whilst books that retail for less than US$20 claim to offer a do-it-yourself alternative."
Reader Comments...
While I agree that usability cannot be divorced from business strategy, I direct your attention to the last paragraph: Dr. Adir Shiffman is Founding Director of online research and strategy company Global Reviews. Global Reviews uses its set of quantitative benchmarks to evaluate the online customer experience provided in various industries, and then works with companies to guide improvements. Aha! In other words, "don't hire Nielsen! Hire us!" Posted by: MadMan on July 22, 2002 10:01 AM
Please do not critically analyze this article! Posted by: Ron Zeno on July 22, 2002 10:09 AM
Usability works well ...when complemented with a compelling reason to buy. Business people are too quick to lose an insight into what drives a customer in a flurry of abstract analytics. Posted by: (the other)JS on July 22, 2002 01:13 PM
Think about this seriously for a second... Jakob swans into town, damning everything he sees and then says, "Oh I have a company that will set you on the straight and narrow". The local guys, not wanting to be outsold, retaliate by saying JN is all talk and that they are doing a good job. Two things...One JN is not doing the industry as a whole any good by kicking every local operator when he enters a town. Two, I as a web site manager think who is right, who is wrong...why does JN cost so much when others promise the same thing for less? Until you can all learn to love each other, us folks outside the industry will just continue to scratch our heads and wonder Posted by: JB on July 22, 2002 05:13 PM
"why does JN cost so much when others promise the same thing for less?" Maybe because Nielsen is the most widely known and respected person in usability. Maybe because many people are gullible enough to believe empty promises when it suits them...
Have you noticed the anti-JN forces hardly ever reply with a methodology or examples -- only pointless whining. Come up with a coherent alternative exploiting the basic fallacies, then market that. Oh sorry, said that bad word -- marketing. This is like the communists trying their hand at the free market. Posted by: (the other)JS on July 23, 2002 06:41 AM
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