Humans change slower – much slower – than technology. That’s the guiding conclusion of usability guru Jakob Nielsen, who notes that 80% of Web usability guidelines from the Nineties still hold today.

If he comes off as stubborn, you’re probably right. But at least he backs up what he says with facts – and then grinds the facts in to remind naysayers he is right, was right, and will be right. I’m inclined to believe he is, though; he makes sense.

If this post seems promotional of a new usability book, you’re probably right about that too.

Back in 1994, Nielsen conducted one of the first Web usability studies involving just five websites with three users. Shockingly – and somewhat unbelievably – Nielsen says that the vast majority of that study’s findings still apply today, even when testing hundreds of sites with thousands of users in several different countries.

“[W]hether you look at application or website guidelines, usability guidelines remain remarkably stable across decades,” he said. That’s because they depend on human characteristics, which don’t change that much.”
 
Most of the post reads like the man is doing a jig as he types, enjoying the validation of his work and assertions. He goes into a tangent at the bottom noting how everyone thought he was crazy when he railed against splash pages and against excessive use of Flash.

Nielsen takes this to mean that usability is pretty much a constant. “Of the guidelines from the 1990s, 22% are less of an issue today because designers have learned to be less abusive….”

And later, “Now, the enemies of usability say that while I was perhaps right about the early Flash problems, it’s not reasonable to apply traditional usability guidelines to “Web 2.0″ which proponents claim will revolutionize everything and do away with all that we know. (No, it won’t.)”

Heh. Reminds me already of the Winer/Williams spat.

Three of those unchanging guidelines are as follows:

Communicating clearly so that users understand you. Users allocate minimal time to initial website visits, so you must quickly convince them that the site’s worthwhile.

Providing information users want. Users must be able to easily determine whether your services meet their needs and why they should do business with you.

Offering simple, consistent page design, clear navigation, and an information architecture that puts things where users expect to find them.

For more tips, check out Nielsen’s post on growing a business website and high-profit redesign priorities, and of course, his new usability book.