CHI 99 Press Releases

Press Releases:

Jakob Nielsen, most websites failing

Cyberspace Civil Wars - censorship and the web

How to Succeed in Business by Really Trying

Digital Library or Digital Store?

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Computer Controlled Kids Toys

(PALO ALTO, CA) March 9, 1999 -- "The total interaction on a Web site is only as strong as the weakest element," states Web guru Jakob Nielsen, a Principal at Nielsen Norman Group. The key to success for a company on the Web is the total experience, and, according to Nielsen, "on average, a user will fail when trying some new task on the Web." And in most cases, "user motivation to do problem solving on your Web site is low" because another, better designed site is only a click away. Nielsen will present his insights on the Web at the next CHI 99 Conference on Computer-Human Interaction.

Nielsen predicts that in the next ten years there will be major changes in the Fortune 500, based on how companies approach the Web. "Web interfaces must be treated as a core competency," he warns. Many sites have very bad user interface characteristics. Sites are based not on user needs, but on corporate graphic design guidelines; and design criteria have more to do with the look and feel of icons on the pages, rather than that the site information be organized well. Nielsen emphasizes function over aesthetics: "it is a mistake to sacrifice fast download time for the sake of appearance." Nielsen notes that in his opinion, "the current balance is tilted toward the look of pages" leading to excessively slow performance for the vast majority accessing the Web over modems.

CHI is the premier worldwide forum for the exchange of information on all aspects of how people interact with computers. The annual conference on human factors in computing systems features a full program of presentations, tutorials and vendor exhibits. Approximately 2500 professionals from over 35 countries will examine the future of human-computer interaction from 15-20 May in Pittsburgh, PA at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center at CHI 99.

CHI conferences are sponsored by the Association for Computing Machinery's (ACM)'s Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction (ACM SIGCHI). The CHI conference is traditionally supported by industry organizations. The CHI 99 champion sponsors include: Microsoft, Motorola, National Science Foundation, Sun Microsystems and Yahoo! Inc.

For more information about CHI 99 or the field of human-computer interaction, please contact Ace Public Relations at: chi99media@PublicizeIt.com