The Web is not just about reading information and ordering stuff. It is also about doing things and supporting user tasks. The Web is now being used for quite complex applications, though normally in a way dramatically reducing user productivity relative to a well-designed user interface. If the Web interface fails, then the entire application fails. How we see, interpret, and do things on the web are shaped by contexts - work, play, values, and everyday life.
Good design speaks to the whole person.
Using gender and age as examples, this talk will illustrate how web designers can benefit from taking a long, deep look at people's lives. We had three computers available and our researchers talked about twelve sites in a public but informal manner to give people a taste of what usability research can do for a web site. Alternatively, some of those interested opted to pay a short visit to the Dutch Design Day . The Web is not done yet. Many good ideas are being developed in research labs that will take the next generation of websites and Web software far beyond the current simplistic page metaphor.