[IxDA Discuss] SEO and Usability

[Art Swanson]

It is really interesting to think about this in terms of global
interaction structure.  Search engines are really a layman's command
line interface for the web.  Very direct access to information, if you
know the right syntax. This is as compared to the hierarchical menu
structure (GUI-driven) thathas been shown to be the easiest to learn
(assuming that the you have the categorization of information
correct).
 
The improvment in the search engine's tolerance for "faulty"
syntax, coupled with the high accuracy of the search results really
eliminates some of the faults that traditionally are associated with
command-line interfaces.  And what you are left with is the speed and
efficiency of direct access vs. the intuitiveness of a hierarchical
menu structure.
 
Are the bulk of web users becoming "expert" users in which they are
looking for the power and efficiency of a command line interface?  Is
the baseline level of web-user sophistication growing to the point
that power, speed, and flexibility (at least in navigation) are as
important as rock solid intuitiveness (not to be confused with ease
of use)?


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Posted from the new ixda.org
http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=24134