Browsing the Web over the past few years has become an often-nauseating experience.
I'm often amazed by "average" users who seem completely unfazed when they visit sites filled with animated ads and other visual noise; but it likely does negatively affect their understanding of the actual content, since they are being constantly distracted by everything else trying to get their attention. I was a few times forced into this situation and had to physically cover the flashing banners and other crap with my hands in order to actually read the content. Even if it's only in my peripheral vision, I found it to be sufficiently distracting that I couldn't think about the text I was reading --- it was like being half-asleep. I could read each word, but everything felt like a blur.
This brings up my hypothesis that the reason a lot of users seem to not notice things in the UI or read warnings closely is that they're so used to being distracted by useless things and desensitised to it that they've accepted not being able to concentrate and think as being normal, which is quite unsettling. Many times I've had to help someone out with an unfamiliar (to both of us) UI, and the person I was helping would gaze blankly and not be able to find something that I instantly saw.
> "I'm often amazed by "average" users who seem completely unfazed"
They are unfazed because it's the norm, not the exception. Humans adapt. It's what we do. They see X and presume that's the way It's supposed to be.
This explains fashion. It even explains obesity. We look around and unless there's clear and obvious danger we conform, because conforming has historically been s survival instinct.
That "survival skill" is coming back to haunt us.
> "This brings up my hypothesis that the reason a lot of users seem to not notice things in the UI or read warnings closely is that they're so used to being distracted by useless things and desensitised to it that they've accepted not being able to concentrate and think as being normal..."
I'm often amazed by "average" users who seem completely unfazed when they visit sites filled with animated ads and other visual noise; but it likely does negatively affect their understanding of the actual content, since they are being constantly distracted by everything else trying to get their attention. I was a few times forced into this situation and had to physically cover the flashing banners and other crap with my hands in order to actually read the content. Even if it's only in my peripheral vision, I found it to be sufficiently distracting that I couldn't think about the text I was reading --- it was like being half-asleep. I could read each word, but everything felt like a blur.
This brings up my hypothesis that the reason a lot of users seem to not notice things in the UI or read warnings closely is that they're so used to being distracted by useless things and desensitised to it that they've accepted not being able to concentrate and think as being normal, which is quite unsettling. Many times I've had to help someone out with an unfamiliar (to both of us) UI, and the person I was helping would gaze blankly and not be able to find something that I instantly saw.