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Chapter-2

How We Really Use the Web

Scanning, Satisficing, And Muddling Through

Summary

Chapter 2 reveals three fundamental truths about how people actually use websites: We don’t read pages, we scan them. We don’t make optimal choices, we satisfice (pick the first reasonable option). And we don’t figure out how things work, we muddle through.

Understanding these behaviors is crucial because designers often assume users will read carefully, evaluate all options rationally, and understand how things work. In reality, users are always in a hurry, care more about their tasks than understanding your site, and are comfortable with not understanding things fully as long as they can accomplish their goals.

This means designers must optimize for scanning, make obvious choices readily available, and reduce the need for users to think or understand.

key Points

Reality #1: We Don't Read, We Scan

  • Users scan web pages instead of reading them word by word
  • We’re usually in a hurry and on a mission to accomplish something
  • We know we don’t need to read everything to find what we’re looking for
  • We’re good at scanning – it’s a skill we’ve been practicing our whole lives
    “Design implication: Create obvious visual hierarchies and use conventions”

Reality #2: We Don't Make Optimal Choices, We Satisfice

  • Users don’t choose the best option – they choose the first reasonable option
  • “Satisficing” = satisfying + sufficing = picking the first option that seems good enough
  • Optimizing is hard, and we’re usually in a hurry
  • Consequences of guessing wrong are usually not severe
  • Weighing options may not improve our chances of success
  • Guessing is more fun than careful consideration
    “Design implication: Make the right choice obvious and easy to identify”

Reality #3: We Don't Figure Out How Things Work, We Muddle Through

  • Users rarely read instructions – they forge ahead and muddle through
  • Most people don’t care how things work as long as they can use them
  • If we find something that works, we stick to it even if it’s not optimal
    “”It’s not important to me” – users care about their tasks, not your interface”
  • Muddling through is more efficient if we’re just going to use it once or occasionally
    “Design implication: Make things obvious enough that people don’t need instructions”

Why It Matters: Designing for Scanning

  • Create clear visual hierarchies on each page
  • More important elements should be more prominent
  • Related items should be visually grouped
  • Things should be nested to show relationships
  • Take advantage of conventions
    “Don’t reinvent the wheel – use familiar patterns”
  • Break pages up into clearly defined areas
    “Users decide quickly which areas to focus on”
  • Make it obvious what’s clickable
  • Eliminate distractions and visual noise

  • Format content to support scanning
    “Use plenty of headings and bullet points”

Key Takeaways

  • Design for scanning behavior, not careful reading
  • Make the first reasonable choice obvious – don’t hide it
  • Accept that users will muddle through – make it easy to recover from mistakes
  • Users are focused on their own goals, not understanding your site
  • The cost of getting things wrong on the web is usually low, so users take chances
  • Design should accommodate actual user behavior, not ideal behavior
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