Level Two: Whoa-oh-oh, Listen to the Music! (Doobie
Brothers!)
Here’s Steve Todd’s page titled “Bos5’s Link Page” at
http://members.tripod.com/~Bos5/welcome.html
I don’t know the name of the tune. It’s the one they play
on Saturday Night Live when the two brother go clubbing
while bouncing their heads to the beat. I guess it’s titled
“What Is Love” because that’s name of the midi file.
Nowhere on the page can I get away from the music. If
it’s there, I missed it.
Steve is forcing me to do something I just do not want to
do. In a Web environment, you cannot force me to do
much of anything. I am in control. A user will most
likely leave when he or she isn’t in control.
Level Three: An Error
Here’s a page by Joe Holman titled “Joe’s Social
Conscience” at http://joessocialconscience.n3.net/
I think the point is made. Most likely the user wouldn’t
want the music, but moreover the music threw an error.
That’s two concerns in one and it’s death to a page.
So, what should one do?
I have found that simply saying, “don’t” is never an
acceptable answer so I would like to show you a page by
Elaine Culver at
http://www.home.earthlink.net/~eculver/.
Look closely right under the image. See the Midi control
panel? Elaine has a midi on the site but she is allowing
me, the user, to decide whether I want to hear the music
or not. Furthermore, she is simply hanging it out there
and not making much of a deal over it.
It is one thing to give me the choice to hear the music, it
is another to offer me the choice and then beg me to
listen.
As a personal aside, Elaine, this is a simply stunning
page. It’s a bit long, but look at that screen capture. The
colors. The textures. That image. Elaine, I have an
overwhelming desire to go tell my wife that I love her.
Why would you put that panel on such a lovely
representation?
Yes, you gave me the right to choose, but I would have
rather not been given that right. It took away from the
piece.
To all who are reading, please remember that you are not
in charge. The user is in charge and forcing anything
upon that user will cause a bad taste in the mouth. Think
about why you would use background music. If you
cannot come up with at least three great reasons, think
about not having it at all.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
That’s that.
Joe Burns, Ph.D.
Always Remember: When it comes to designing your Web site, the
most important person is not you, but your user.
Click here for instructions.
