Letter from the President Those of us who use the Web frequently note more and more access and display problems. We sometimes wonder if our experience is unique or a part of an increasingly disturbing trend. According to Jakob Nielsen, a consultant in Web technology, the Web is moving toward its own Y2K disaster because about 196 million new sites will be available within the next 5 years. Many sites are poorly designed by individuals who are do not appreciate the relationship between design and usability meltdown. Based on studies of Web site usability factors over the last 5 years, Nielsen notes the following design criteria.
Download speed is the most important factor.
The proportion of users accessing the Web with high-speeds methods is declining. The Web was initially structured with the assumption of high-speed access. Many users are indiscriminate in using the search bottom because sites are not designed carefully to help focus queries. Scrolling on navigation pages is bad. Users need to see all choices at once with links below the window border.