One of IDEA’s philosophical foundations is that technology has evolved to the point where it can adapt to the needs of humans, rather than humans having to adapt to the limitations of technology. An outgrowth of this philosophy is that web sites can mimic the ways humans naturally seek out information. One of the prerequisites in doing so is to find out how people find information online and how the experience of web site visitors can be improved.
To answer these questions, IDEA conducted the Finding Information Study to understand the differences between the actual and perceived needs of end users by surveying three groups: nonprofit organizations, web designers, and the general public. The key findings were that:
- Designers underestimate the thresholds for an effective site.
- Easy access to complete information is key to visitor enjoyment.
- Good visual design and up-to-date information are critical.
- Visitors want information fast.
- Visitors want a broad range of topics.
- Designers are overly optimistic about visitors’ ability to maintain their orientation on a web site.
- Designers tend to overestimate the clarity of their designs.
- Visitors point to the lack of breadth and depth of site content as causing an “information gap.”
