ARTICLE NO. 484    February 12, 2010

These are your users... read and be horrified

by

This came to my attention via my friend and colleague Sean Christmann (@seanalltogether) from EffectiveUI, who writes:

The next time you're building software and think to yourself, "Don't worry, users will be able to figure it out," I want you to remember this blog post.

ReadWriteWeb recently published an article titled Facebook Wants to Be Your One True Login. Being an interesting, timely article, it rose to the top of Google searches for "Facebook login." Then: chaos and confusion. Lots and lots of the people who use Google instead of their browser's address bar to access sites began confusing the ReadWriteWeb link with a link to Facebook itself, and began posting angry comments wondering why Facebook had been redesigned and asking when they'd be allowed to log in again. RRW posted a fascinating response to this bizarre event wherein they attribute the failure to Google, and note the disturbing security implications… makes for very interesting reading.

But definitely set aside some time to read some of the comments thread on the original article. It's really eye-opening. And if you haven't already seen it, check out this video of a Google rep asking random people, "What's a browser?" and "What's the difference between Google and a browser?" I'm betting the people who got those answers wrong are the same sorts of people who flamed the RWW post.

Remember these people when you're designing your products.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)

Jonathan (@first_day) is a tech-focused jack of all trades and the editor-in-chief of UX Magazine. He is also the author of Effective UI: The Art of Building Great User Experience in Software, published by O'Reilly Media. Through its partnership with UX Magazine, Jonathan is also a senior advisor to Didus, a recruiting and career development company focused on user-centered professionals. As well, Jonathan is Managing Director, Product Strategy & Design for Dapperly, a fashion-oriented software product startup, and he is the Principal of First Day, a small private equity and consulting company. From 2005 to 2009, Jonathan helped found EffectiveUI, a leading UX strategy, design, and development agency focused on web, desktop, and mobile systems.

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March 16, 2010
Be afraid. Be very afraid.
March 16, 2010
google chormme IS a browser...
March 16, 2010
I'm a Web Developer... I'm going to go jump of a bridge now.
March 16, 2010
This doesnt surprise me considering when someone says "Google it" instead of "Use firefox and type something in the search box". As much as some of you are laughing, I wish technology was this transparent and people could just access information without limitation of platform/product.
March 16, 2010
After watching this, i came to conclusion that or i am too smart or people are just too dumb :/ Hmm.. thinking better, after i saw what happened at readwriteweb.com's "Facebook Wants to Be Your One True Login" article, people are really stupid.. I should take a note on that when making my next design. Thanks for sharing this info/video. Best Regards, RaphaelDDL
March 16, 2010
“Just think of how stupid the average person is, and then realize half of them are even stupider!” -- George Carlin
March 16, 2010
There are more of them than there are of us.
March 16, 2010
"Simplicity in technology is important, but not at the expense of simplifying ones mind." That's a brilliant saying, it's going to go on my wall. While simplifying technology and making it easier to use is important, there is a minimum that a user should know to use it. For instance, phishing attacks are successful because users don't know how to use and read the URL address bar properly, which created the Facebook/ReadWriteWeb problem because of users typing 'Facebook login' into Google. I'm sorry, but I'm firmly in the camp of the 'Facebook users were stupid and shouldn't be using a computer' on this one. Yes we shouldn't assume everyone is a Geek, but a bare absolute minimum amount of knowledge of the internet should be a must.
March 16, 2010
Still looking how to login to Facebook?
March 16, 2010
"A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools." Douglas Adams 'nuf said.
March 16, 2010
This doesn't surprise me, I always knew 90% of the people on this planet were just plain stupid. This video proves it, If I could stop the world and get off I would!
March 16, 2010
Right, it's horrible...many people use Internet and they don't know their own software, that allow them to use Internet. It's like people who surf everyday and don't know that there are Business behind! they don't know what is web design for example... and for google chrome...yes, when you buy a computer, there is just Internet Explorer...how do you think that they can know google chrome...(or firefox, opera or what you want)... they are like "stupid users".
March 16, 2010
No enterprising developers have been able to "find a way" to get flash on iPhones/iPads or any other device by Apple - they can't - it's closed - that's what closed means - a good example of why being closed is so bad for us as consumers - Steve Jobs says we don't want to watch Flash video on Apple devices so no Flash, Flash Video etc. Thankfully there are OPEN devices coming, like Google's HTC Hero with Flash!
March 16, 2010
Oh dear.
March 16, 2010
To those above using the car analogy, I'd like to point out that it's actually far less similar to knowing the mechanics of how an engine works and what all the individual components do to make it work (that's like saying every internet user should understand the mechanisms of the HTTP protocol and all that malarkey) and instead much more analogous to the kind of user who doesn't even know whether it's the big circular thing in front of then or the little pedal-things down there that make the car go forwards. The kind of people who probably shouldn't be driving anyway.
March 16, 2010
Hehe.. liked it...
March 15, 2010
I couldn't make it all the way through that video. I hate my users.
March 15, 2010
That's a lot of assumptions for a product that isnt even out yet.
March 15, 2010
This video saddens me as it's just another example of the general dumbing down of society!! I'm not saying that everyone should know what a browser is, it's just another telling example of how people are not encouraged to know about stuff these day. To explore, to query, to look behind the scenes and find out how things work. And how companies are encouraging this rather than striving to expand peoples knowledge. I imagine however, if a similar poll were taken about the goings on in the life of some tv celebrity, the chances are most average people would know the answer. How sad is that!! So many people are wrapped up in absorbing celebrity gossip, innane tv drivel and all the other rubbish that we are bombarded with through the media and consumer society these days, that the aquisition of less transient information, and true personal inquiry have taken a back seat. This trend has been encouraged no less by companies and governments intent on creating an unquestioning herd mentality among the population, where the tenets of conformity and consumerism are savagely promoted at the expense of more intrinsic human concerns. Simplicity in technology is important, but not at the expense of simplifying ones mind.
March 10, 2010
Spot on Stilgherrian, I couldn't have put it better myself. Until the tech industry realizes that most people--including the tech inclined, and managers--know jack about usability (I call it the "everyone's a usability expert" syndrome), maybe we'll start seeing better products. The elitist tone of the article and comments don't give me much hope of that happening anytime soon. Thank you uxmag.com for propagating the delusion.
March 02, 2010
Thank you!
March 02, 2010
Really interesting post.
March 01, 2010
Great stuff!
March 01, 2010
That's great! Where can I get more information?
March 01, 2010
That's exactly what I was looking for! Thank you!