Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

I kinda think maybe I understood a little bit of what you said.  I must 
say I don't enjoy browzing the new classified format nearly as much as I 
did the old because it's just too much work to get down to the pertinent 
info: size, age and then back out.  But I've gotten brainwashed I guess 
into accepting that fancier set ups like the new version are what the 
web will look like.  Since I only window shop, I'll just probably do 
less of it since it isn't as much fun any more.
Laney

Linda Mirams wrote:
> On Wed, 17 Jan 2007 09:06:51 -0800, Karen Sullivan wrote
> > Just some thoughts....
> > ...
> > 2. The new set up of the classifieds will certainly curtail my daily
> > perusing.....I guess being in the dark ages with plain old dial up. it's
> > painfully slow to view ads. Before, I could just scroll down and speed-read
> > and scan ads...reading all the ads probably in less than a few 
> > minutes...and could get all the pertinent information in an instant.
> >
> > With the new format...given the titles are whatever; you can't tell 
> > if a a horse is old, young, how tall, etc. All that shows up on the
> > main menu is price and location...
>
>
>
> What Karen is describing is an old, well-known principal in user interface
> design:
>
>   When you have alot of information to present, which is better:  an interface
>     that is "broad and shallow" or one that is "narrow and deep?"
>
> The answer is unequivocally:  Broad and Shallow!!!
>
> While humans have a natural tendancy to want to classify and structure
> information into a hierarchy, doing so *when you don't have to* essentially
> accomplishes one thing and one thing only:  it hides information; burying
> it where it may never be seen.
>
> Always show as much of the hierarchy of information as you can at any one
> time.  Broad has to be *very* broad before it begins to, in itself,
> encumber the user's assimilation of the message.  A whole day of
> Ridecamp posts approaches this limit ;-)
>
> Another way of looking at it is:  the classifieds used to all be printed on
> one big sheet of paper.  Now they are printed on tiny post-its that you
> have to view one at a time through a keyhole, with a huge "mouse manipulation"
> overhead between each tiny snapshot.
>
> Or, put another way, all of the increase in bandwith one might get
> with a DSL or broadband connection has been obliterated by narrowing
> the portal through which one may view the information to 300 baud.
>
> Or, put yet another way:  Beware of Second System Syndrome!
>
> For a much longer and better discussion of these issues, see Edward Tufte's
> "The Visual Display of Quantitative Information" (or of *any* kind of
> information for that matter!)
>
> Linda
> (Who does this stuff for a living...)
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp
Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp

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