Don't Blame The Users
March 28, 2004 | 
19 Comments
Lately there has been quite a bit of talk here and elsewhere about usability. We’ve discussed the usefulness of various navigation methods, we’ve bantered about e-mail newsletter preferences and I’ve made a stab at giving you some advice on managing content for multiple audiences.
In those posts and during those discussions there are quite a few references to our users. You know, those people for whom we ultimately should answer to.
Now, I realize that this isn’t always the case. With every project there are user needs, for sure, but you also have to meet the needs of your stakeholders and your technical people as well. For now let’s put the focus on the users.
I often read, or hear, or witness, a designer (or more often a non-Web type person, say from IS or marketing) blame a user for a problem with a site. I’ve actually heard things like, “it’s not my problem if they don’t get it.”
I can depend on where you site sure, but in general, if you are involved with a Web project at any point, it is your problem, at least to some degree, if the users can’t use the site. Marketing needs, for example, often trump user needs in favor of “branding” and the like.
(Let me tell you, there a few things more detrimental to your “brand” (which is, in my mind away, more than your logo and colors) than a bad user experience on your Web site. But that is another post altogether and one that may be hotly contested so let me get back on track. Sorry.)
Blaming the users for anything should raise a huge red flag that you’ve got some usability problems.
What is probably worse, far more common and much less obvious to see, is assuming or predicting how your users are going to interact with your site without the benefit of good user data. Don’t do it. Well all know that to assume is to make an ass out of “u” and “me” right?
I often read, or hear, or witness, a designer (or more often a non-Web type person, say from IS or marketing) assume a user is going to do “X” or “Y” without having actually seen a user interact with the site at all. I’ve actually heard things like, “users will think that is too busy,” or “users will know how to resize their window.”
Yeah, maybe they’ll “get it”. More often than not, in my experience anyway, they don’t. Many times it’s not even close! Watching an “actual user” interact with the Web is an eye-opening, jaw-dropping, experience.
If your site has problems and people start to pipe up about them (which is a very good thing — trust me — you can learn a lot from negative feedback if you pay attention) it’s easy to get defensive and put the blame on the users.
It’s also easy (and frankly lazy) to assume user behavior. It can, and probably will, lead to problems down the road. Having guidelines is good, having discussion about user preference is great, but without user data to back up your design decisions it’s all still guesswork.
I’ve said that there are no real rules when it comes to Web design. If there were though, you can be sure it’d still be a good idea to check them, every time and in every situation, with the users.
Filed under: IA and Usability
Comments
1. Ste Grainer said:
Well said. I’ve just recently finished reading Don’t Make Me Think by Steve Krug, and it’s opened my eyes about user testing, both how important and how easy it can be. I’m planning on several user testing sessions throughout the course of a big redesign I’m working on. That book should be required reading for anyone thinking about putting things on the Web, whether they’re programmers, designers, writers, or marketers. :)
Posted on March 28, 2004 01:54 PM | #
2. Keith said:
Don’t Make Me Think is great and I totally agree with you. When I worked for Connexion by Boeing we bought a whole bunch of copies to hand out to the marketing folks and it went over really well. Made our meetings go much smoother at times.
We’ve got quite a few down at the hospital making the rounds as well. It’s a great educational tool for non-Web folks.
Posted on March 28, 2004 02:07 PM | #
3. Rimantas said:
Funny, reading this reminded me the very same book “Don’t make me think” – I am rereading it now. Highly recommended.
Posted on March 28, 2004 02:14 PM | #
4. Todd said:
Well, it seems like it’s highly recommended, so I think I’ll pick this book up!
Posted on March 28, 2004 04:20 PM | #
5. Mike P said:
I actually had to use that very term in an e-mail to a client on Friday - they wanted to ‘take the easy way out’ (i.e. cheap and fast way) instead of doing up a section of their new site in a ‘user friendly way’.
Simply saying ‘don’t make them think!’ really got the point across.
Posted on March 28, 2004 07:10 PM | #
6. SoheiCube said:
Hi all, I’m new here.
If my users haven’t said anything, does that mean that there’s nothing wrong with the site? I doubt it… I know that there’s a bunch of flaws on my site, but my users don’t say a word.
I also made a support forum, but it’s never been used. Sad…
Posted on March 28, 2004 07:50 PM | #
7. Nollind Whachell said:
Sure you can listen to the user but what good is that if the client doesn’t. In my experience, the number one thing I found stopping a client from having the best site possible for their customers was the client themselves. The real users are the client’s customers, not the client themselves. I don’t care how great a site is to the client if it doesn’t fulfill the needs of their customers, who are ultimately the ones who are going to be using the site.
BTW another approach on “don’t make me think” is “get out of my way”. I don’t how many times I’ve had clients wanting tons of crap on their sites that only slows their customers down from what they are ultimately there for. Sure you can still have the content, but there is an appropriate place for everything. The more you slow your customer down, the more frustrated they will be, thus the more frustrating their overall experience will be. Get out of their way and give them what they want. I often laugh when I visit certain sites because I just imagine what it would be like if the site was a real store and the customer had to dodge and weave for 50 feet just to move 5 feet in the store. Of course if this happened, you probably wouldn’t see too many customers returning to that store. :)
Posted on March 28, 2004 07:53 PM | #
8. Bobby van der Sluis said:
Don’t blame the users, blame the clients ;-)
For me web design is about 3 things: a happy client, happy client’s clients and a happy me. It’s the magic triangle that’s a part of my job and the sport is to find a positive balance in it.
Of course in the end the client is responsible and has a veto on whatever happens with the site, but it is my challenge to build up a certain relationship with that client and educate and persuade him (BTW I really like the tip to handout copies of Steve Krugs book, I’ll keep that in mind).
Depending on the client and the extend I am able to build a good relationship, I will be able to succeed with my goals (which include to make the client’s clients happy and give them a good experience). To make a long story short, if it ain’t good, don’t only blame the client, blame me too.
Posted on March 29, 2004 12:42 AM | #
9. Rich said:
Very good point. I think there are a number of issues though. I agree one must listen to the user, however they are not 100% right.
For example, some users request access to secure areas on our site. In three separate locations (including the confirmation email) we inform them that requests can take up to 24 hours. Within 2 hours some users are emailing us demanding ‘access’ and ‘why wasn’t I told it would take this long’.
Now this user maybe one of around a hundred that request access. We do not hear from the rest, they are quite happy with the system.
I suppose I am just saying that although we must listen to the users, we must be careful not to change a system that works well because we only notice when there are complaints.
How we then discern what user feedback should drive our interaction decisions is another question altogether…
Posted on March 29, 2004 02:48 AM | #
10. Linda said:
Very well said. And I have to agree with Rich - we can’t make the user actually read the information on the site, no matter how intuitive the site is. It’s unfortunate that these folks are usually the squeaky wheels.
Posted on March 29, 2004 06:55 AM | #
11. Nollind Whachell said:
My point being here is that the client has the final say with regards to their web site. What does it matter if you read all these great books out there on user-centered design (which I have) but you can’t implement it because the client is only interested in their approach. In otherwords, you have all of this knowledge yet you can’t implement very much of it. What do you do when a client tells you to build the site the exact opposite of a user-centric design and you can’t seem to convince them otherwise?
Don’t get me wrong I think it is great that people are learning all of this knowledge, as it is beneficial, but really only if it is actually implemented. The site’s success is just as critical on your client’s part, as it is yours. As said by Tom Cruise in the Jerry Maguire movie, “help me to help you”. This is exactly the feeling I have because many times the client almost doesn’t want to utilize the knowledge that web designers have gained. The only way you can help them is if they decide to trust your knowledge in the matter.
As I said, while all these books on usability are great, what’s missing is books or sites on convincing or educating clients as to why these approaches that web designers take are in their best interest. It’s great that you as a web designer think that usability is important but unless you can get your client on board with it, it won’t help the client’s customers any (who are the site’s users). In my opinion, this education of the client is one of the number one things lacking in web design today. We as designers are understanding more and more of what a good site entails but still this message isn’t getting across to the client, who holds the final word with regards to the site’s development.
Posted on March 29, 2004 08:02 AM | #
12. Keith said:
To Rich’s (#9) and Linda’s (#10) point about getting a user to read something. I agree this can be a tricky problem. For example I’ve got a line that says “Please post your comment once” just below my comment form.
I get duplicate comments all the time, indicating that people aren’t reading that, right?
Well, now that I look at it, I can see that perhaps it’s not worded very clearly. It also might not be in the ideal place.
This is exactly what I’m talking about. For the longest time I’ve been getting duplicate posts and just chalking it up to the fact that people aren’t reading my request to post only once. My guess is that this is, at least in part, my fault.
I’m going to try and fix this and see if it helps. My guess is it will. I won’t get every user, but if I can cut that in half it’s still worth it.
Posted on March 29, 2004 10:00 AM | #
13. Keith said:
Ok, I changed my comment form to better reflect what I need people to avoid doing in order to keep from commenting multiple times. We’ll see if this helps.
Posted on March 29, 2004 10:13 AM | #
14. Richard@Home said:
I would have been tempted to try the ‘post only once’ message right next to the post button:
[PREVIEW] Please click POST only only once: [POST]
My reasoning? As the western world read right to left, they would scan over (and hopefully digest) the message before they got the POST button.
I have NO evidence to back up this theory - it just occured while reading your post.
Posted on March 30, 2004 01:42 AM | #
15. Richard@Home said:
or alternatively (with javascript), you could hide/disable the post button once clicked to stop them clicking it again using something like this:
<input type=’submit’ name=’submit’ id=’submit’ onclick=’this.style.display=”none”; ‘/>
Posted on March 30, 2004 01:49 AM | #
16. How said:
To Rich (#9). Yeah, in what users say, they aren’t right all the time.
Just asking users what they want is generally understood in the usability community to be a bit a “no no”; users are sometimes worse designers than programmers.
The trick is watch what users *do* and design to optimise what you see in a web context.
So if you are building an e-commerce site, go watch some people shop. See what mistakes they make, and how they correct them. See how they get frustrated in certain scenarios and try to use the power of the web to make it better.
Then test with users… test test test.
Posted on March 30, 2004 07:42 AM | #
17. Richard said:
Always remember the client pays the bill. Not only do we need to remember this, but our client needs to remember it also. The end-user (as a general group)must teach us how to design our sites. Always keeping in mind that not all end-user will react and navigate in the same way, but through user data, we can determine general habits. What I’ve noticed in general is to keep it simple and to the point. We can design web site to be all things to all people. Understanding your target audience is crucial. One method of navigation may work well with one target audience and not the other.
Posted on March 31, 2004 09:14 AM | #
18. Kirk said:
At some point, the question becomes: how dumb do you want to go? If you make your target the very lowest denominator you can think of and then some, you run the risk of annoying even moderately facile users, to say nothing of the “power user” bracket. I mean, explaining what a link is, or how you can click it? Or a push button? Or what a mouse is? It’s not just arrogance that leads developers to not want to go down the path of the total net moron.
(speaking of usability, why do I have to give you an email address, in these spam-rich times?)
Posted on March 31, 2004 10:56 AM | #
19. Keith said:
Kirk – the reason why I require an email address is to discourage anonymous comments. I realize it’s not ideal. Once MT 3.0 comes out (with typekey) I’ll be requiring users to use that. Some folks think there are problems with comment registration but it’s more private, will keep down my comment span and I get too many anonymous and irrellevant comments as it is.
Sorry about that – rest assured that if you give me a URL your email address won’t get posted anywhere.
Posted on March 31, 2004 02:32 PM | #
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