You've heard those jokes? "You know you're a redneck when..." or "You know you're over the hill when..."
#76
You know that webpage sucks when...
Over the past few months... through Multicom, and Macworld, I've been conducting a field study. We've also worked with a number of consumers and high-school aged young people. We are wondering how people react to things on web pages, and what they think. Everyone will want to be sure and read the latest GUI study now available from Georgia Tech Research by sending e-mail to: www-survey@cc.gatech.edu.
__ This study is a wonderful insight into the societal changes being brought about by the web. It also tells us in no uncertain words what is actually happening out there on the streets. Their results just so happen to agree nearly 100% with mine.
__ Of our survey results one of the biggest rants is over animated gifs. Yes, all of the Web magazines are spouting "animate your website". However, I caution you, as a web page designer, to approach these evil little demons with a great deal of thought.
1. Why use an animated gif on this particular page?
2. Does it purvey a message to the reader
3. Does it reinforce the message?
4. Does it only loop once or twice? (or does it go on forever???)
5. Will it be distracting from the reader eyeflow?
These questions are very important to the success of the page. Why? We're seeing as many as 32% of your potential readers turned off by animations of any kind. They can even lock up the browser, or cause the modem to lose the carrier. With these victims you can be assured they'll never be back.
__ Over the months to come, we'll be talking about other aspects of research being done on successful purveyance of information via the electronic medium.
__ For now... think BEFORE building that animation. You certainly wouldn't like to have your page land in the same place so many others have... "You know that webpage sucks when... things blink or move."
Fred Showker
Fred Showker is director of The Design & Publishing Center on the web at http://www.graphic-design.com/, and is a co-founder of both The User Group Forum on America Online, and The User Group Network at http://www.user-groups.net/. He has been a user group activist and supporter since 1984.
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