Jakob Nielsen: the Contrary View - Essay Example

Jakob Nielson: The Contrary View Jakob Nielson: The Contrary View Goes Here al Affiliation Goes Here Jakob Nielson: The Contrary View Introduction Dr. Jakob Nielson is a Danish human-computer interaction engineer who is a self-proffessed expert on computer software and usability. It is his contention that the internet self regulate by using usability standards. These standards are set by Nielson much to the dismay of many of his colleagues. He is a leading proponent of discount usability engineering that focuses on cheaper options for computer interfaces. Arguably, Nielson is a leader in his field when it comes to usability. He has introduced his five points of usability for intranets and the internet that include learnability, error, efficiency, memorability, and user satisfaction. According to Nielson’s web site user interface usability is higher for intranets than for the internet. The reason for this lies in the intranets usability design and in the fact that an intranet is controlled and a user won’t find themselves at a dead link, or fraudulent site (as can happen on the internet). According to Nielson’s website (useit.com) the internet “is the interface to a vast amount of information, and so the emphasis must be on usability”. The problem with Nielson’s ideas is that a lot of others in the same field disagree with Nielson’s declaration that all should follow a given set of instruction when designing websites. The Counter Argument According to Frank Spiller (Spiller, 2004) Jakob Nielson “promotes best practices, he preaches obedience to his guidelines and when he postulates opinions they are interpreted as instructions". Spiller argues that Nielson may be interpreted wrongly and when translated, from the Danish, meanings get lost or misunderstood. The translations do sound a bit egocentric as Nielson declares that: "In the future, first of all, websites will be designed by my guidelines”. It is here that the argument moves away from usability into the realm of personality and professional ethics problems (Spiller, 2004). Nielson comes across as flamboyant and arrogant. He often cites his work a “we” but doesn’t mention the others he is working with. His professional ethics have been questioned on some occasions. For example, he charges 35,000 for a half day consulting appearance while claiming that usability is the least expensive way to go (Spiller, 2004). Beyond Personality There are many arguments against usability as introduced by Jakob Nielson that include: Who will pilot a new usability program? Who will mandate the standards and ensure compliance? What will happen to those who choose not to follow Nielson’s standards? Will their websites be denied web access? Will those trying to access denied sites be redirected to another web address? Any mandated plan will need to be well thought out. Perhaps Nielson needs to visit the Human Interface Technology Lab at the University of Washington and/or other sites that study web interface and usability. Nielson may need to see that he is not the only one working on usability. Perhaps a collaborative effort of professionals creating website guidelines would be more widely accepted than guidelines set by one person. Nielson’s work has been interpreted as contrary to popular web design. Nielson was quoted saying “Websites must tone down their individual appearance and distinct design in all ways (Nielson, 2000): visual design terminology and labeling interaction design and workflow information architecture His comments were interpreted as meaning that web designers need not design anymore because it hurts the usability of websites. There are other organizations that have conducted usability studies and some have set standards based upon those studies. Institutions and individuals are very capable of drafting in-house guidelines when it comes to intranet and internet websites. The National Institutes of Health and Human Services (NIHHS) Research-Based Web Design and Usability Guidelines website provides the Guidelines developed by NIHHS in partnership with the General Services Administration. In short this partnership developed a set of guidelines that each organization would follow when developing websites. The guidelines are used for consistency in presentation and usability of websites. This organization did not need an international standard to follow and their website is very user friendly. Jakob Nielson’s usability standards are not needed because the issue has already been addressed successfully on the international level. It is called “user centered design” and is published as ISO 13407 titled “Human-centered design”. Also available is ISO 9241-11 that defines usability as “The extent to which a product can be used by specified users to achieve specified goals with effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction in a specific context of use. (Quesenbery, 2003)” See Appendix A for Iterative Design Cycle. A visit to Usability Net’s website shows more in depth guidelines for web usability. Usability Net is the European Union’s project to promote usability and user centered design (UsabilityNet, 2005). Although funded by the European Union, UsabilityNet is a global organization with the goal of providing guidelines for website, software, and hardware design. UsabilityNet provides guidelines for website design and testing. Success (or failure) is measured by end user evaluation. UsabilityNet’s design guidelines are much more stringent than Jakob Nielson’s guidelines. Also, UsabilityNet’s guidelines follow closely those spelled out in ISO 13407 and ISO 9241-11. Integration is a big part of the European Union’s Cohesion Policy. It is the European Union’s goal to use UsabilityNet as a tool standardize internet design throughout the European Union. This will, in effect, assist the European Union in integrating new member states into the European Union. Conclusion Jakob Nielson’s work in the field of usability is above reproach. But, Nielson’s assertion that the world should adopt his guidelines as the standard for intranet and internet websites is flawed. It is assumed that Nielson, from English translations, is egocentric and believes that his standard alone should be adopted. Despite Nielson’s assertions, there already exists standards at the international level for website design and usability. Many international organizations use ISO’s 13047 and 9241-11 to construct and maintain their websites. The NIHHS and General Services Administration in the United States has developed and used usability guidelines for some time. The European Union has similar guidelines designed and implemented by their UsabilityNet organization. As stated earlier, Dr. Nielson’s work is top notch. But, it is possible to have standards created through a collaborative effort amongst individuals well versed in usability. A collaborative effort most probably would turn out guidelines that were subject to much criticism, and testing, before being published. As in any project, one must look around and see if something you needs already exists before beginning to create it. In this case Dr. Nielson is asking for acceptance of his standards as ‘the’ standard. Unfortunately for him the work has already been done elsewhere on an international scale following readily available international standards (European Union’s UsabilityNet and NIHHS Guidelines). References American Psychological Association (2001). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. European Union Publication. Design Guidelines for the Web. Retrieved October 31, 2007 From http://www.usabilitynet.org/tools/webdesign.htm National Institute Of Health and Human Service. Research-Based Web Design & Usability Guidelines. Retrieved October 31, 2007 From http://www.usability.gov/pdfs/introduction.pdf Quesenbery, Whitney. (2003). Usability Professionals’ Association. Starting From People. Retrieved October 31, 2007 From http://www.wqusability.com/articles/voting-nist-symposium2003.pdf Spillers, Frank. (2004). Graphic Design Vs. Usability. Retrieved Octoer 31, 2007 From http://experiencedynamics.blogs.com/site_search_usability/2004/04/how_usable_is_j.html Nielson, Jakob. (2005). USEIT.COM: Jakob Nielson’s Website. Retrieved October 31, 2007 From http://www.useit.com/ Appendix A ISO 13407 Iterative Design Cycle Read More