Archive of UserLand's first discussion group, started October 5, 1998.
Re: MSN Beta
Author: Sam Yates Posted: 11/9/1999; 10:51:48 AM Topic: Today's scriptingNews Outline Msg #: 12895 (In response to 12879) Prev/Next: 12894 / 12896
Dave, I could not agree with you more about the "new" MSN look being to cluttered to be useful. It makes you wonder if they have actual people trying to use the site, or if they just say "If we split it up like this we can maximize advertising revenue" or something. From what I've heard about Microsoft, I'm sure they do in fact perform usability tests, but I still find it hard to believe that people actually like the new format and prefer it to the old one.I think a number of sites have started to fall into this trap (maybe it's due to the emphasis everyone places on people only looking at the "home" page and then moving on if they don't seem something they like). Even Amazon, who is next to legendary for an easy on the customer experience, is coming dangerously close to a front page with to much vying for the user's attention.
Just my 2c. I have no delusions about being some kind of design guru, but I also know you can just *tell* a user that something is better or that it's intuitive and make it so.
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