Akkam’s Razor

I had just gone through this and made notations on it, but I have no intentions of keeping the paper copy around, so consider this an Executive Summary:

• Methodology was based on observation of 20 users who were judged to be experienced web surfers.
• The site being observed was a blog (Blogspotting) which is withing Businessweeks website.
• Users were concerned about whether or not a site was a blog - and that it should have been disclosed - implying that the perceived value of content changed based on whether the site was or wasn’t a blog.
• Professional looking blogs may not ne considered as “blogs” by the user.
• The user interface (designed by bloggers-for-bloggers) is unfamiliar and confusing to non-bloggers.
• The UI should have clear placement of search, recent posts, tags, categories, and related posts.
• Users do not recognize the value and potential of RSS. Less than 5% of users have reported that they use RSS.
• The audience (reader)? is not accustomed to content on the first page.
• The terminology of trackbacks is confusing to users - perhaps it would be better to disclose this feature in plain english…like “what other people are saying…”
• The report discusses “current web behavior” and that it doesn’t work well with the structure of blogs.
• Blogs are interesting because of the informal , personal, and exhibitionistic aspects of them.
• Users need more hand-holding on blogs - they need more disclosure, explanations, and prompting.
• Users have difficulty understanding the conversational aspect of commenting to blogs, and they also don’t understand what happens when you submit a post.
• The main barriers of RSS are the assumptions that it is too advanced for their technical skills, it can be a conduit for spyware, adware, and malware, and that subscriptions can cost money.
• The fact that a web page is a blog should be disclosed (as opposed to what?) What makes a blog any different from a web page? Or is the distinction that a blog is a persons web page and not a corporate identity?
• Further issues for consideration include credentials, editorial oversite, and intuitive UI design.

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