Invasion of the Usability Experts
By Dale Dougherty
When I read the work of usability gurus, my initial reaction is rather strong. I feel somewhat defensive and boxed in by their conclusions. It must be similar to how directors and actors react to drama critics.
What do these critics really know? Let them produce compelling work of their own rather than criticize others' work. Part of me just wants to ignore them. I want to ignore the certainty and finality of their arguments. I want to resist the idea that anyone really knows the right thing to do on the Web.
Use drop-down boxes sparingly, says Jakob Nielsen in an article on his site, useit.com. Drop-down boxes, he says, confuse users. Nielsen, who is expert in these matters, usually presents an effective argument. In this case, It bothers me that he makes his point by citing a ludicrous example of a person onstage at a trade show trying to select street type (Road, Street, Circle, Avenue) from a drop-down box. What worries me is that Nielsen's remarks are being translated by others into a ready-made Web design doctrine: "Don't use drop-down boxes." Armed with such catch phrases, the one-minute manager begins to lock down what designers do. Nielsen's work is important, but please use his conclusions sparingly.
I suspect that some usability gurus try to manufacture catchy headlines to get them and their consultancy the attention they want. But when they do this, the details of the underlying study are often ignored. One such guru wrote that $14 billion would be lost in online holiday shopping because 47 percent of the people who start an order fail to complete it.
