[GoLUG] Another web page to ponder

[Steve Litt]

On Mon, 3 Feb 2025 08:49:16 -0800
Ron / BCLUG <admin at bclug.ca> wrote:

> Steve Litt wrote on 2025-02-02 16:22:
> 
> > I don't know what "glance around the perimeter first before
> > focusing on the centre / content means. Could you please expand on
> > that phrase?  
> 
> I had the realization that visiting a new web page is like walking
> into a new establishment.
> 
> One might glance around subconsciously to determine the best seating 
> location, or if there's trouble brewing, or whatever.
> 
> Again, without giving it a thought.
> 
> 
> A web page has me looking around - header? sidebars? On to the
> content...
> 
> 
> Walking into a new restaurant and it's an empty shell (everything's
> up those stairs at the back) would have anyone doing a double take -
> what's going on? This is weird and unexpected.
> 
> Going to a website that presents as a mimeographed pamphlet from the 
> 1980s has the same effect.
> 
> 
> That's the thought that came to me the other day.

Now I understand. Yes, I think most folks glance around the perimeter,
but I think we all notice different things. You notice a header and
sidebars. I notice readability, relevancy, and lack of hassle...

Readability:

* Large enough font, hopefully sans-serif, with good contrast and not
  stupidly overlaid with something else.

* No horizontal scrolling on the document. If horizontal scrolling is
  necessary for an element, put it on that element alone (source code
  for instance).

* Split writing into paragraphs separated by two to three line heights
  of blank space.

* Maximum of 9 to 12 words per line. When going to the beginning of the
  next line, I don't want to lose my place and then have to take time to
  figure out which line is next.

* Transparent text is for turkeys. Having the stuff on the layer below
  interfere with the edges of the text on top of it might be a minor
  thing for the 20/10 vision developer, but for people with bad visual
  acuity like me it's a show stopper.

* Decent grammar: These guys who think it's cute to leave out the
  object or subject, I'm gone quickly. The guys who don't start a
  sentence with an uppercase latter and end it with a period or colon:
  I'm gone, I don't like the job of shoe shining back and forth to
  parse the text from context. Everybody writes an ambiguous sentence
  once in a while, but I see lots of those, I'm gone; so many websites
  and so little time.

* Minimal ambiguities. If the last couple paragraphs introduce six
  different nouns, and then says "it enables you to color your image",
  which of the six nouns enables this. If I see much of this I'm gone.


Relevancy:

* Have a compelling title that identifies what I'll be reading, and
  make the page fulfill the promise.

* Describe what I want to learn, or else something so compelling that I
  want to learn it even though I didn't before.

* Tech edit any code or commands so they'll work for me the way they
  worked for the author.

Lack of hassle:

* Don't expect me to learn a whole different set of icons for an
  individual website. Other than the universal hamburger menu icon
  that means a menu, the icon of a bust and a face that means "this
  user", and the gear icon which means "config", words should be
  used, and words should be used. And always, hovering an icon should
  quickly reveal its function in words.

* Make your links stand out. Mystery meat navigation is such a drag. It
  might be soooo 1995, but I personally use the default underline for
  most of my links, because everyone knows what they are.

* Have a hierarchical menu instead of forcing the user to look all over
  the web page for possible links. When I want to go to the nearest
  Billy's Barbecue, it frosts my petunias to have to search every
  occurrence of "location", and if that doesn't work, doing the same
  thing for "store".

* Have a dam phone number I can call. Some situations aren't amenable
  to web forms, because programmers can't think of every situation.
  This may, to a degree, solve itself as these websites get truly
  helpful AI bots. 

* If you're going to have a must-answer field, be sure there's another
  field to explain. "Have you ordered from us before, Y or N". Well,
  what if you don't remember? Or what if your wife ordered from them
  but used your credit card?

* Don't make me sign the equivalent of a legal document to see your
  website.

* Don't make me be a member of your silly business just to order a
  one-off thing from you.

* LOL, don't make me fill out 50 fields, which I have to research, and
  then without warning tell me if I don't finish in 5 minutes my whole
  order will be dropped. Drug chain Covid test reservation systems, are
  you listening?

Now let's talk about sites that look like 1980's mimeographs. First, as
I remember, by 1980 mimeographs no longer used that purple ink, and in
fact they were quite sharp and readable. This can't be said of the
mimeographs of the 30's, 40's, 50's and 60's.

Sometimes a mimeograph web page is what you need, and sometimes it
isn't. For a start, mimeograph web pages go up faster, maintain easier,
and transfer much more easily when your 11th web provider all of a
sudden becomes useless, as has happened to me many times. It's like
restaurants: Some have tablecloths with wine and a concierge seating
the clientele, and some are grills with counters and short order cooks
(not many anymore), some are lowest common denominator fast food
joints, and some are food truck businesses that can be started for a
mere $50K. There's room and need for all of them.

SteveT

Steve Litt 
444domains.com