NONE: Re: Graphics and the Web
Re: Graphics and the Web
S. Finer (xerxes_at_clark.net)
Wed, 28 Aug 1996 16:54:46 -0400 (EDT)
On Wed, 28 Aug 1996, Sanford Carr wrote:
> One of the participants quoted the find/svp study of Nov. 1995:
> > wasn't available when they got there, while fully one-third of all
> > web users indicated they turn their graphics browsers off at least
> > some of the time to speed access.
>
> This is hugely different from "one-third of internet users surf with
> graphics off". Note the "at least some of the time" phrasing.
Yes, correct. About 5% of the 1000 respondents reported NEVER using
graphic capability.......
> This
> looks like the Yes/No answer to a question like "Do you _ever_ turn
> graphics off while surfing" (emphasis mine).
That was not the way the question was phrased. While using the web do you
a) always use graphics
b) never use graphics
c) use graphics most of the time
d) leave graphics off most of the time
e) do not recall exactly
is the way I remember the question being phrased....
> In the "Text is King" interpretation the inference is that there is a
> 1 in 3 chance that a visitor to my site will arrive with graphics
> off. In reality, the survey provides no probability data because it
> doesn't specify how frequently people turn off the graphics
> capabilities of their browsers.
the survey does provide the data, but it is not published on the
web......the full results, including questions and raw data, are available
to the clients
> My own experience and that of
> others who have analyzed their server logs is that, for our sites,
> considerably less than 5% our visitors come in with graphics turned
> off or using text-based browsers. This data is current, unlike the
> find/svp data, but biased by self-selection (only visitors to our
> sites).
Work performed since 11/95 is not showing meaningful disperity......
> I'm not suggesting that text isn't important or that good design
> requires 100K or more of graphics pretties. What I am saying is that
> people who make design decisions should assume that the vast majority
> of their visitors are using graphics capabilities and allocate the
> bandwith available to them with that in mind.
Most people do use graphics....but many people find waiting for the
download to be a pain in the ass. I become VERY annoyed waiting for a 55k
graphic that does NOTHING for my understanding......like a large logo,
contentless, on every page. This is an abuse. I prefer well organized
text dominate sites, with many 15-20k or less pages. Graphics must be
substantive......a chart for example, or table, or graph, or helpful
photo. If they are not, then I lose patience.
I estimate that the number of folks who feel as I do actually do number
about a third of participants.....and I refer to them as
Text-Patient.....These people spend as much or more time using lists,
email, or newsgroups as they do the web. Too many html jockeys ignore
this group.......at their own peril. Because the text-patient folks have
been using the Net longer and have more confidence in it, and use it more
for business. THEY ALSO BUY MORE FREQUENTLY using the net than do other
users......
