You mean someone has bought Homepage Usability (and actually read it) ! Then they have taken the 113 guidelines, applied them to some web sites and then called the resulting scores research !

Well I Never.........

Posted by: Mac on January 16, 2003 08:22 AM

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Another legal reference: libel (Faster server, nice cross-referencing.)

Are usability people liable for slander if they make claims against companies and no data is available for support?

No more or less so than any individual.

Posted by: Ron Zeno on January 16, 2003 01:26 PM

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I think it depends on the way you phrase it. Most people preparing a usability review say "my observation is that ...." or they use comparisons to highlight weak points, so they are not reporting information that cannot be proven - you are seeing for yourself that the links are green when best usability says they should be blue (or whatever).

Perhaps a good test would be to see if the word "allege" might be required in order to cover your ass. You wouldn't, for example, say "the website allegedly uses improperly colored links" but you would say "the president allegedly laced the office water coolers with a powerful hallucinogen." "The alleged violation of clearly labeling navigational icons makes this an ineffective front page" would sound weird, but "The door was spray painted pink, Mr. Smith alleges, by his neighbor in retaliation for cutting down a shade tree last summer."

Posted by: Lydia on January 16, 2003 05:27 PM

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From Article: "He said first impressions were important and that if corporate homepages weren't up to scratch then it delivered a negative image of the company."

Agree that "first impressions" can impact, but "first impressions" can initially give the user a feeling of trust and "these folks know what they are doing" but only through "use" can you evaluate if it supports their requirements, and as a result "impacting" the brand perception as a result. Wow thats a long sentence!

Have seen many examples of "ah yes ... professional looking site" but does not support my first couple of clicks and interactions. For the record I do think design and brand are very important.

Posted by: daniel szuc on January 18, 2003 03:56 AM

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How can it be slander if the opinion is based on something you see. If I go to a web site and the text is hard to read, or if the page takes forgever to download, or has confusing labeling, I think I'm entitled to give my opinion as a user who has experienced it..period.

Posted by: joe gannon on January 22, 2003 09:54 AM

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