Trained Monkeys, I Tell You

If a website should be built with the user in mind, on what level should the user’s intelligence be based. Should a site be so user-friendly trained monkeys could use it.

Apparently, the web is no different than everyday life. The less we have to think about something the easier our lives become. Somewhere down the line thinking has become “evil.” Our society is highly based on finding efficiencies, so we can use our brain less. A great example is the Pet Rock. It required no instructions and you didn’t have to think to take care of it. The only brainpower one probably used was to open the package.

Now that the web is in the mainstream, it too now has to find efficiencies in order for the mainstream to continue to use it and to grow a bigger audience. Also, the web is generating revenue. This prospect of profits makes websites owners more eager to make their sites more “user friendly” because an audience is needed. To accomplish this, one must cater to the masses. Unfortunately the “masses” have the same attitude you do when it comes to things they find difficult. They don’t deal with it. What may be hard for me may not be hard for someone else. So, now you have to think of efficiencies. In other words, your website should be a pet rock for the web.

Since, it doesn’t take too much intelligence to figure out the Pet Rock, what should be the intelligence medium for your audience? How can a web developer tell if his site is too hard to navigate? Buttleson, Booth, and Weintrop say usability testing is key. They believe “that usability testing be a continuous and integral part of the Web site development” (196).

According to Krug, “the fact that the people who built the site didn’t care enough to make things obvious – and easy-can erode our confidence in the site and its publishers” (15). So, should trained monkeys be used as an example of the least intelligent of their users. Since monkeys display cognitive ability in research studies and definitely are able to care for a Pet Rock, how hard could it be for them to navigate a website that doesn’t require the user to think.

So, if a monkey can do it, why can’t you. Unfortunately, no matter how “user-friendly” a site is, someone will find it challenging despite the number of usability tests conducted or how “simple we make it. “Although developing a usable and effective site is challenging in its own right, maintaining and redesigning that site to meet the constantly changing needs of users is a seemingly impossible task” (196).

Sources:

Krug, S. Don’t Make Me Think. Indianapolis: New Riders. 2000.
Battleson, B., Booth, A., Weintrop, J. Usability Testing of an Academic Library Web Site: A Case Study. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 27.3 2000.

Everyone Needs a Laugh

Someone sent me very interesting directions.  Go to Google.com and type in the word “Failure” in the search engine.  Click on the first link.

Those Who Technology Leaves Behind

Technology and new media is constantly being developed to evoke social change. Products are being invented to help people educate themselves, better manage time, and keep and share memories. However, with these new ideas and technological advances, someone pays a price. Does technology broaden the social gap between the rich and the poor.

Online education is being developed to make higher education more accessible. It is being used to replace distance learning and traditional face-to-face learning. Hiltz and Tutoff think “there are benefits to the students, the organizations, and to the society, as well as more direct cost-benefit factors” (62). If people with low incomes can’t afford the computer to access online classes or the Internet connection, how can this technology benefit society as a whole. At least, scholarships are available for people with a low income to attend traditional schools on a need basis.

Technological advances increases the economy by introducing products that people with money would buy. Instead of looking for ways to introduce their technology in help underprivileged communities Kangas and Kinnunen talk about using technology to lower cost to produce a marketable product.

In Digital Memories in an Era of Ubiquitous Computing and Abundant Storage, the writers talk about how people can capture and store their life through technology. Yes, it’s good to be able to use technology to find a hat we misplaced a week ago. But wouldn’t it be great if we could use technology to provide food to the hungry instead worrying about what picture to store on my refrigerator.

Fortunately, new technology is bringing the people who can afford it together. Unfortunately, it is dividing the haves from the have-nots. As stated on ITDG.org, “ Leave a Comment