Broadband Reality Check!

I just can't escape those shrieking ads and articles: 'Everyone has broadband – or at least, they're getting it next week!' Because of this overwhelming hype, many Web developers and content pros currently seem preoccupied with learning how to produce broadband content....I must admit that I've been lulled into the broadband fantasy to some extent, too. I live in a very 'wired' town (Boulder, CO), and we currently have both DSL and cable modem connections at our home. So I've been sucking down a lot of broadband content lately. I've gotten very spoiled! However the vast majority of Internet users (even in the US) cannot get broadband.

Gahran, Amy. Contentious (2000). Design>Web Design>Usability>Bandwidth

Cost-Effective Website Acceleration

This three-part series outlines a common sense, cost-effective approach to Website acceleration according to the two simple laws of Web performance.

Powell, Thomas A. and Joe Lima. SitePoint (2004). Design>Web Design>Usability>Bandwidth

Download Speeds And Usability

Obviously it isn’t true that download times don’t matter. Presumably the research methods used to arrive at such conclusions are flawed in some way – or alternatively Jared is so keen to convey the importance of other factors than simple speed of download (a noble aim in itself) that he is willing to inaccurately dismiss download speeds as completely irrelevant. Either way, this kind of statement is hardly a good advertisement for the usability industry.

Farrell, Tom. Frontend Infocentre (2001). Design>Web Design>Usability>Bandwidth

The Need for Speed

Every Web usability study I have conducted since 1994 has shown the same thing: users beg us to speed up page downloads. In the beginning, my reaction was along the lines of 'let's just give them better design and they will behappy to wait for it.' I have since become a reformed sinner since even my skull is not thick enough to withstand consistent user pleas year after year.

Nielsen, Jakob. Alertbox (1997). Design>Web Design>Usability>Bandwidth

Ten Ways to Speed Up the Download Time of Your Web Pages

Do you like to wait for pages to download? Neither do your site users.

Moss, Trenton. Webcredible (2004). Design>Web Design>Usability>Bandwidth