Web users ‘getting more ruthless’ (BBC NEWS: Technology) Neilsen gets the BBC to say some alarming (yet completely sensible) things about the attention of online users. Conclusion: Usability soundbytes about online activity are now mainstream news. To be honest, I worry about the day when someone puts a GDP-sized dollar figure on wasted time & “productivity” due to half-assed usability of computers and on the Web, because we’re going to look like we ignored a huge issue and the fingerpointing won’t be proportionate to the offenders (MSFT). Any mea culpas about crippled browsers, lack of standards enforcement and inconsistent platforms will sound lame, regardless. Usability standards simply move too slowly to keep up with the upcoming spike in attention. (Let’s not mention accessibility once people come to think of easy computer/web use as a right.)
