[WEB4LIB] Re: ] RE: academic web administration

[Kevin W. Bishop]

I respectfully disagree. (And as long as we're shooting from the hip here, 
I don't believe ANY navigational system allows its designers to ignore the 
users; EVERY navigation system must "know" its users to some extent.)

A Xerox PARC study recently analyzed web user behavior from the perspective 
of "foraging theories," and have found it useful to explain the 
navigational strategies of users as following the strength of the 
information "scent."  That scent is, of course, strong or weak based on the 
user's frame of reference, his/her experience.

Although this is a fine and delicate distinction to make, to me it seems 
more productive to concentrate on WHY a user comes to our site ("what would 
someone want from our jungle?") rather than telling our users who we think 
they are and, as a consequence, what they want.  I would argue that users 
generally come to us not to be told that they are this or that type of 
user, but to find the answer to a question.

But then again, unless and until we have studies to support our assertions, 
we could probably argue till the cows come home.  ;)

Thanks.
-kb




At 01:26 PM 5/15/01 -0700, Drew, Bill wrote:
>Task oriented sites do not require you to know your users.  User oriented
>site means you must know the users you serve and what they want.  I strongly
>suggest two books: Design Wise by Alison Head and Information architecture
>for the World Wide Web by Rosenfeld and Morville.  I can't give you a
>specific reference other than them but there is a lot of discussion and
>writing on the web on user oriented design.
>
>___________________
>Bill Drew -  SUNY Morrisville Library       BillDrew.Net:
>http://billdrew.net
>E-mail: mailto:drewwe at morrisville.edu
>"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant."
>-- Robert Louis Stevenson.

_________________________________________
Kevin W. Bishop, Campus-Wide Info. Sys. Coord.
Libraries and Information Services
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
<bishopk at rpi.edu> | <http://www.rpi.edu/rpinfo/>