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The web is getting easier to use

But many of the difficulties encountered are partly down to users themselves, says usability guru Dr Jakob Nielsen.

First the good news:
• Sites are improving, says Nielsen
• The net is getting easier to use
• Two-thirds of those surveyed succeed
• Search engines have improved

So says Dr Jakob Nielsen, usability evangelist and advocate of simplicity over style, drawing on the results of the annual survey the Nielsen Norman Group runs to find out how people use the web.

Web survey
The survey asks those taking part to complete a few simple tasks such as booking a holiday online and searching for information. When it was first run seven years ago, 60% of respondents failed to complete the set tasks.

"The only reason it worked at all was because people were doing online what they used to do elsewhere," Dr Nielsen says. Today, by contrast, two-thirds of those surveyed succeed.

Some bad news
Now for the not so good news. This has not come about because net users have become lightening-fingered web masters with an in-depth knowledge of search syntax.

smart searchingSmart searching
But many users have yet to pick up tips on smart searching No, says Dr Nielsen, it's largely down to improvements in search engines - the tools that 88% of those surveyed turned to for help in carrying out their tasks. These need to be efficient and reliable, because the survey found that few users know how best to use them.

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