[Sigia-l] Faceted classification browsing tool

[Listera]

"Boniface Lau" wrote:

> Obviously, whoever designed the web page in question did not think
> that it was yelling.

That, of course, is their choice.

> But some users thought so because the page was not displayed in the font face
> and size that they deemed appropriate.

(Actually, she explained later that her objection ran deeper than mere font
size but focused on text/picture ratio as well as the tone and level of
explanations.)

It's impossible to design something that can please everyone. Therefore some
users will be displeased. The 'solution' to this 'problem' is not to give up
designing altogether and just rely on users' browser defaults.

I find the notion that, in the year of our Lord 2002, the look of the entire
web should be limited to what a user's browser defaults dictate, well, naïve
and absurd. Especially given the fact that very few users know about and
fewer understand where and what those defaults are.

Luckily the rest of the web community doesn't think so, and we have stuff
like CSS, as an improvement over the primordial state of the web circa mid
90's.
 
> Thus, overriding the default is all too often perceived by the users as
> inappropriate.

I'm willing to bet that the vast majority of users don't know what their
'defaults' are or when they are overwritten or that they think this is
'inappropriate'. Absent any proof to the contrary, of course.
 
> Using the default is in a way "speaking the customers' language".

Catering to users begin by understanding that they are not designers.

Best,

Ziya