24% Can’t Find Google

[TeamPlayer]

This week, usability guru Jakob Nielsen asks: “How difficult is it to perform a search on Google?”

No, really. How hard is it? We know the search box in the upper right hand corner of your screen can get there. We know that Google.com in the address bar can get there. But, sadly, Nielsen’s study indicated that at least 24% of Internet users don’t know that. It hurts me just to type it.

A quarter of Internet users said they wanted to search Google for something, but when placed in front of a computer, couldn’t figure it out. “Instead, they either completely failed to get to any search engine or ended up running their query on a different search engine — usually whatever type-in field happened to be at hand.”

Nielsen breaks this mind-boggling stat down for us: More Here..

[temi]

Not quite surprised by that. Most proficient internet users tends to assume everyone else is proficient like them. I am always trying to tell my staff to stop using words like "cg-bin" perl path to server etc etc to lay customer, they won't have a clue.

[TheeCommerceConsultant]

Usability is a huge issue! I am not surprised by that at all.

I have clients who receive phone calls from people who will not click through even if a link underlines on mouse over. For pure usability you have to forget design and have click here for this and click here for that everywhere.

It would be interesting to get a demographic breakdown of that. I find anyone over 45 years of age will not navigate a site unless explicitly instructed through navigational pointers.

Design be deviled usability be riched...

I would love to have two parallel sites one with design and another following pure usability guides (aka jakob) and guage their preformance.

[vicdigi]

No disrespect here. Oftentimes, and in my experience this appears be from many folk who have not really used a computer so much let alone the internet. IE older folk.

I keep telling some of my staff all too often to stop double clicking links. Do they listen!

[fisker]

Its true. Just not everyone is tech savvy. what is old news for us is might still be something new for others