[Web4lib] Web technologies and public access

Mon Feb 4 16:07:13 EST 2008

" Your thesis worries me.  Wisdom does not exist per se in Web design.
Clever design may exhibit wisdom, but words are words.  Design and text
may marry
-- but the text matters."

I agree that what matters is content, but I have to disagree with your
statement. Web site design is important not just for presentation, but
also for credibility and usability. Stanford's Web Credibility Research
(B.J. Fogg, et al. ) has shown that people evaluate a site by visual
site alone (http://credibility.stanford.edu/guidelines/index.html). If a
person does not think that a site is credible, how could they trust the
information they find on it?  Further, good web design helps everyone,
although those who may benefit the most are the blind, partially sighted
and dyslexic.   

Michael

-------------------------------------
Michael Sutherland
Web Services Librarian
Montana State University Libraries
P.O. Box 173320
Bozeman, MT, USA 59717-3320
Ph: (406) 994-6429
msutherland at montana.edu 

-----Original Message-----
From: web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org
[mailto:web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of Richard Wiggins
Sent: Monday, February 04, 2008 1:19 PM
To: K.G. Schneider
Cc: web4lib at webjunction.org
Subject: Re: [Web4lib] Web technologies and public access

Karen,

With all due respect (and much is due) --

You said you found less credence in a Web site because it was so 1995.

I know exactly what you mean.  I get it.  Some sites just so exude,
well,
1995.  But that is the presentation.  It is not the words.  It is not
the
meaning.  The words are what they say.  Hemingway does not differ in
paperback.

Your thesis worries me.  Wisdom does not exist per se in Web design.
Clever
design may exhibit wisdom, but words are words.  Design and text may
marry
-- but the text matters.

You can have CSS Zen Garden display Shakespeare in thousands of forms
and
shapes.  It's still the same words.  The words do not alter if they
alteration find.

The whole POINT of the Web is that content is what it is, and we can
present
it in many ways.  But the words don't change.  The words are not better,
nor
are they worse, on the best paper, in the best design, surrounded by the
best graphics.  Words are not inferior in a 1995 design nor are they
better
in a 2008 design.  They are words.  They are thoughts.  Yes, it is more
pleasing if they are presented in an appealing way, but the words are
the
words.  They are to be appraised as thoughts, not images.

Again, I reject the idea that you find someone's words less meaningful
because you don't find the presentation pretty.  It is not about the
parchment nor the font.

If anything, teach the youth of 2008 to read the words.  Again, with all
due
respect, yes, let's aspire to higher aesthetics, but let's realize and
convey that it is the words that matter.

/rich

On Feb 4, 2008 2:37 PM, K.G. Schneider <kgs at bluehighways.com> wrote:

> Rich, if design were an issue, my blog wouldn't have any readers. But
> that aside, while I too focus on content and have loved many an ugly
> book, it's not a question of our tolerance level--it's about what
users
> want, as well as the image we're projecting.
>
> Karen G. Schneider
>
>
> On Mon, 4 Feb 2008 14:22:01 -0500, "Richard Wiggins"
> <richard.wiggins at gmail.com> said:
> > On Feb 4, 2008 2:21 PM, Richard Wiggins <richard.wiggins at gmail.com>
> > wrote:
> >
> > > Sigh,
> > >
> > > I should've used Martin Luther King and CSS.
> > >
> > > Karen, I appreciate when a Web site uses a clever or appealing
design.
>  I
> > > appreciate a good aesthetic.  I try very hard not to judge the
words
> by the
> > > font.
> > >
> > > /rich
> > >
> > >   On Feb 4, 2008 2:00 PM, K.G. Schneider <kgs at bluehighways.com>
wrote:
> > >
> > > > > I reject the notion that a particular Web site needs to keep
up
> with
> > > > > fashion
> > > > > or hew to a particular style.  I don't care if a given Web
site
> looks
> > > > > like
> > > > > it was designed on an Underwood typewriter if the words ring
true.
> > > >  Sure,
> > > > > you appreciate savvy design, but wise words are wise words.  I
> doubt
> > > > > Gandhi
> > > > > would be doing PowerPoint if he were alive today.
> > > >
> > > > Um... did you really put PowerPoint and usability in the same
> paragraph?
> > > > ;)
> > > >
> > > > I most emphatically embrace the notion that a website "needs to
keep
> up
> > > > with fashion." Aesthetics matter; so does emotional content. The
> design
> > > > is part of the message. We want people to enjoy our websites --
to
> > > > linger on them and to feel better about us because of them.
(And
> > > > because you're a good guy I know you won't translate that to
"Karen
> > > > hates usability and thinks websites should be built with
Flash.")
> > > >
> > > > Also, in terms of Nielsen's site, his site wasn't just ugly
(imho,
> still
> > > > is), but for a very long time, it was hard to read. You
shouldn't
> have
> > > > to move your head to read the text on a webpage, or squint your
way
> > > > through long undifferentiated paragraphs in a san serif font.
If
> you
> > > > want to be an authority on something, then walk the walk. I
know,
> it's
> > > > scandalous cuz he's been the Man when it comes to usability, but
I
> am
> > > > not alone in this opinion (and in fact I came to that opinion
All By
> > > > Myself and was quite relieved to find out just how not-alone I
> was...
> > > > and how LONG I've not been alone!).
> > > >
> > > > To the extent that there's an unfortunate gulf between graphic
> designers
> > > > and usability experts, Nielsen has not helped close that gap.
> > > >
> > > > This does not mean that Nielsen hasn't contributed a lot to the
web
> > > > world or that he won't continue to do so. But you either believe
> > > > aesthetics are part of functionality, or you don't. I do.
> > > >
> > > > K.G. Schneider
> > > > kgs at freerangelibrarian.com
> > > > _______________________________________________
> > > >  Web4lib mailing list
> > > > Web4lib at webjunction.org
> > > > http://lists.webjunction.org/web4lib/
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Web4lib mailing list
> > Web4lib at webjunction.org
> > http://lists.webjunction.org/web4lib/
> _______________________________________________
> Web4lib mailing list
> Web4lib at webjunction.org
> http://lists.webjunction.org/web4lib/
>
_______________________________________________
Web4lib mailing list
Web4lib at webjunction.org
http://lists.webjunction.org/web4lib/