Newsletter Editor
John S. Rhodes
John@webword.com
February 4, 2002 Newsletter #65
Table of Contents
1. WebWord Newsletter Growth
2. Usability in Hong Kong
3. Installing Norton AntiVirus 2002: A Usability Case Study
4. Information Architecture for the Rest of Us
5. Book Review: Designing from Both Sides of the Screen
6. When Will Google Screw Up?
7. What Can You Find at WebWord.com?
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How much has the WebWord Newsletter grown? Here are some
numbers to review:
16-Aug-2001 4444 subscribers
24-Sep-2001 4755 subscribers
28-Oct-2001 4960 subscribers
27-Dec-2001 5258 subscribers
04-Feb-2002 5535 subscribers
This has not been a fast path. We've been producing the WebWord Newsletter for over three years. However, I'm happy to say that readers are extremely loyal. Once people subscribe they don't unsubscribe.
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--> http://webword.com/interviews/szuc.html
I just interviewed Daniel Szuc, a usability professional in Hong Kong. Here are some of the questions I asked him:
* How is usability testing different in Hong Kong?
* Do users in Hong Kong work and interact with web sites differently than other users around the world? How?
* What are the main usability issues for Hong Kong users?
For example, are there serious bandwidth issues? Are
there language barriers? Are there any interesting
cultural issues? Are there any gender issues?
* What do you users in Hong Kong think of Flash? Is it good? Is it bad? Is it abused? Does it work well?
You can read the new interview here:
--> http://webword.com/interviews/szuc.html
--> http://webword.com/moving/nortonav.html
The purpose of this article is to provide you with an
in-depth description of my experience installing Norton
AntiVirus 2002. Several images and descriptions are
included, along with numerous comments about the usability
associated with the installation process.
You can read the new article here:
--> http://webword.com/moving/nortonav.html
p.s. Don't miss these great comments from a WebWord reader:
--> http://webword.com/readers/duck.txt
--> http://webword.com/moving/restofus.html
The purpose of this article is to explain information architecture in a very simple and clear manner. If you have been confused about information architecture and what it is all about, this is exactly the article you should read. An analogy is used to get at the core concepts and several useful examples are provided.
You can view the new article here:
--> http://webword.com/moving/restofus.html
>http://webword.com/reports/bothsides.html
Designing from Both Sides of the Screen doesn't do a great job introducing usability and it doesn't do a great job explaining usability testing. Also, it is too focused on Hubbub to the exclusion of reviewing other instant messengers. As I stated above, I would have loved almost any book that talked about instant messenger usability in general.
You can view the new report here:
--> http://webword.com/reports/bothsides.html
On 8-Jan-2002 I posted a comment on WebWord that generated an incredible 35 replies. Here is what I wrote that started the whole thing:
"It seems that everyone loves Google. I love Google and I bet that you love Google. Here is the problem. I'm afraid that Google is going to screw up. I'm afraid that they will go away or that they will do something terrible. Are they secretly grabbing information from my hard drive in an attempt to gather information on everything? The issue is that we all have very high expectations of Google. We use it because it is fast, simple, and fun to use. But will they become evil over time? I realize that they are user focused and user driven today, but what about the future? And yes, everyone loves the Google toolbar right now, but are they collecting too much information about us all? What do you think about Google? Will they continue to be the best search engine? Do you think they are going to screw up? How much do you trust Google as a company?"
If you want to see what other people wrote, visit this page:
--> http://webword.com/weblog/00000767.html
Feel free to post your comments. The discussion is still open. Enjoy!
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Articles (Moving WebWord): http://webword.com/moving/
Expert Interviews: http://webword.com/interviews/
Career Center: http://careers.webword.com/
Recommended Books: http://webword.com/books/booksindex.html
Newsletter Archive: http://webword.com/archive
Weblog Archive: http://www.webword.com/weblog
Usability Reports: http://webword.com/reports
Recommended Web Sites: http://webword.com/hotsites.html
End of WebWord.com Usability Newsletter #65
(c)2002 by WebWord.com and John S. Rhodes.