bad Jakob Nielsen, bad!

He usually has some good points that are only visible to those who can sift through his rhetoric. Most of what comes out of nielson's mouth (or keyboard, as it were) is cynical and negative. Jakob nielson is a misanthropic bastard, but very good at what he does.
 
Originally posted by goynang
Macintosh is a higher-priced dolled-up variant of Windows.
Click to expand...
:mad: Don't you hate it when people talk about this kind of thing, when they don't even know their a** from their elbow?
 
It's funny how he claims that Netscape and Macintosh are imitations of IE and Windows, when the former have been around longer. Such ignorance from the mouths of Windows junkies.
 
I actually think it is a stretch to call Jakob Nielsen a "windows junky" or that he "doesn't know his ass from his elbow", he does have a very decorated past and carries some strong credentials as a UI designer.

He biggest problem is his opinions and that many of them are not substantiated.
 
Originally posted by holmBrew
I actually think it is a strtch to call Jakob Nielsen a "windows junky" or that he "doesn't know his ass from his elbow", he does have a very decorated past and carries some strong credentials as a UI designer.

He biggest problem is his opinions and that many of them are not substantiated.
Click to expand...

He's right. I'm a usability specialist (I have a masters in Human Computer Interaction) and J.N. is something of the pioneer in the field - but he often seems to spout things that are not well thought out. On top of that, I don't think he has ever built anything in his life (the "other" usability beyond *evaluating* usability) and to deny Apple's groundbreaking work in usability, UI design and even accessibility (and/or taking Xerox's work and putting it into an actual product people can buy) is a serious blunder on his part.

Also, he was talking about web browsing and comparing that between PC and Mac - you could argue there is little difference since it is basically IE on both machines and his topic is limited to newsletters. However, I think IE for Mac has a much better UI than for Windows.

It's funny, he has an older article on how software crashes cost us billions in productivity - seems he should be aware of OS X's crashproofness.
 
What I'm wondering is, has this guy ever *used* a Mac? And if so, has he done so for more than five minutes at a demo machine running at his local CompUSA?

Why is Nielsen even writing comparisons if he hasn't even seen both sides? And another thing, *if* he compared IE on Windows to IE on Mac, it's not right. IE on Mac is a crappy port, and therefore unequal. Therefore, it's an unfair comparison.

In my opinion, this ignoramus shouldn't be writing articles.
 
Trying not to defend Neilsen's motives or actions more than I already have, it is short sighted to think that he has never used a Mac. If you take a moment to browse over to useit.com and read some of his credentials he is a master in the field of usability. Take his stuff at face value and process it abstractly; only then will you be able to skim the valuable frothe from his heady rhetoric.
 
I know his motives are fine. It doesn't change the fact that he is bad at what he does.

EDIT: I shall look over a few more articles, however, I still feel there is no wisdom or knowledge to be gained from them.

EDIT Further: I think I'll unsubcribe from this thread. :D I'm just trolling.
 
Well Ricky, I have to point out that your comments about Neilsen are as unsubstantiated as his comments about the Mac.
 
I suppose after starting this vent-fest I should offer my 2cents on Mr Nielsen's articles....

That particular quote I posted did rather annoy me and seemed rather dismissive of all that Apple has to offer.

That said, in general if you read his articles on usability they normally make a fair amount of sense - some of it just common sense (common sense seems to get forgotten a lot when designing stuff!).

Some of his stuff though does seem to come from someone who spends a bit too much time in the theoritcal world and not enough time in the real world.

He does make think people think about usability - and that can't be a bad thing.

Hmmm, reading that back it seems I can't make up my mind if I like his stuff or not!!
 
Nielsen and anyone like him are evil.

They are against change, against new ideas. Innovation is bad. (Even innovation with good UI is bad.)

I'll see him in hell :eek:
 
negativity creates controversy. controversy gets hits. hits get more advertising.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top