Are Users Stupid Summary
Jakob Nielsen’s article, “Are Users Stupid” is mostly in response to opinions formed about Nielsen’s articles concerning usability. Apparently a great number of people complain that Nielsen and his group test stupid people, and therefore his recommendations reflect a lower population than the average. Several groups claim that some people are simply too stupid to run the internet and that it is impossible to cater to all users for this reason. In his article Nielsen addresses all three of these accusations specifically.
In the next section of the article, Nielsen rebuts the argument that real users don’t mind complex websites. He goes on to state that many cutting-edge technology enthusiasts have great, but unfounded, faith that THEIR users don’t mind it at all. Neilsen claims that the question is not whether users CAN figure out complex websites, but rather whether they WILL take the time to figure them out. In his professional experience he claims most users have the motto, “get in, get out, and move on.” Complex designs are the first barrier a potential website user may encounter. If they are too complex users may not want to take the time to learn them.
The argument that some people are just too stupid to use the internet is a mute point. After all, Jakob Nielsen states, only half the American population is on the Internet in the first place and they are probably most of those people who are, “too stupid.” Nielsen and his group don’t test people like these. Besides, the people who keep tabs on usability are probably some of the smartest people in America, therefore it is easy to see how they would misconstrue the average population as being stupid. Once again, the users cannot be blamed for flaws in a website's usability.
Nielsen concludes by stating that it is important to make the Internet as accessible as possible for the greatest number of people, just like it is important to make sure everyone possible has the chance to learn to read. In order to make the Internet a place that the other 50% of the American population will be able to access, usability must contiune to be a priority. I believe that this assumption is correct. In my website I want to make things as easy to navigate and understand as I possibly can, in order to be inviting to these new comers of the web.
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March 31, 2008 12:05 PM