I just received my copy of 37signals' book Defensive Design for the Web this morning. Scanning through the introduction, it's interesting to see the same comments I had made a few months ago (long after the book went to print) about avoiding referring to people as users. Matthew Linderman and Jason Fried expressed the idea more succinctly and more effectively than I did:
Users sounds like a bunch of junkies or gigolos. The people who visit web sites aren't users, click throughs, hits, numbers on a spreadsheet, or some other form of dehumanizing jargon. They're your husband, your mom, your friend, the guy who sits in the cubicle next to you. They're real people like you and I. That's why we say visitors, customers, or just plain 'ol people.
Nicely said. I really need to find more ways to work 'gigolos' into my writing...
Comments
The Deuce - April 15, 2004 7:48 am
Wrong again my friend.
"Users" are barely people, they are hungry, bitter, ignorant fools. :)
I've said it before and will say it again. Not all clients are "users"; most are not but the few that are well...a few bad apples spoils a bunch, right?
Maybe this is because I am in the system admin/tech support industry opposed to the design industry. If I were a designer I would see clients as well...$$$$$$. However being an admin all that ever gets brought up to me is how "users" break things then blame me or my company, how they try to be sneaky and use our services for illegal purposes or violate the TOS/AUP of the company they are working with. I guess this anti-user attitude is because my job pretty much brings out the "users" and only a few of the clients.
Heh, many users are wanna be designers and scripters that don't know enough to correct their own issues and refuse to learn. They just want the gods of tech-fu to make everything better, even though they don't attend tech-mass. Hmmm...this comes down to the wanting everything for free again.....maybe users are money driven. I dunno. I just couldn't ever imagine literally screaming at a stranger, calling them down, swearing madly all for no reason and still expect them to help me out with something that is not their problem. That is actually insane. Litterally, insane. Heck, children have more sense then that! Yet I come across a handful of these rude people each day.
But look at "users" from the prospective of others in the IT industry, in my eyes they have earned their title well. This 10 to 15 percent of the internet community only abuses the rest of us and expects the world for free. They go so far as to maybe be better named as "abusers" and not "users".
Basically, untill they start to show some respect for the people that make things work and fix their problems why should we the admins respect them?
Hmmmmm...I guess they brought this on themselves. I will feel this way and not have much respect for them untill they show some respect for me.
37signals are just trying to be politically correct and corporate. They are just trying to help you be a better sales person and to help you realize the needs of your audience. That is the key here they are talking about an audience which is complied of clients of all ages and well...."users".
Do you see where I am coming from? Most people are not "users" but those that are well deserve the title.
The Deuce - April 16, 2004 1:09 pm
Guess I killed that!
Sorry, bout that.
Heard you were asking around about The Deuce..... :)
Grant - April 16, 2004 4:24 pm
Yet 37signals made this statement in their manifesto long before their book was published.
http://www.37signals.com/01.html
The Deuce - I agree that there are people who want to get into Web design/devlopment, but are too impatient too actually learn how. They simply want instant gratification.
However, in the context of website "visitors" (or whatever you want to call them) these people are truly that..."people". They should not have to know why something didn't work if the site did not tell them. If they cannot find the "Help", then is that really their fault? Calling them what you want is your preference, but for me it does help to huminize them. It makes them more real to me, and reminds me I could be, and am in some cases, one of them too. Basically using a more personable term helps to put me in their shoes when creating/designing a new website or application. However, to each their own.
The Deuce - April 16, 2004 5:40 pm
True true...However I guess this user vs people vs vistors vs hits topic is really driven by the reason everyone is in business....money.