Archive notice: This article was originally published on January 29, 2008. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
A study by usability specialist eResult found that six in ten users did not understand terms such as “tagging” and “social bookmarking.” Thirty percent could not make sense of “Web 2.0,” while “tag cloud” and “trackback” puzzled 60 percent. Many users also misunderstood established e-commerce functions: 45 percent did not correctly interpret “direct order,” and about half confused filtering with sorting.
eResult research consultant Alexander Magerhans said the study examined what users understood by Web 2.0. The vocabulary had changed rapidly, Web 2.0 was still new to many people, and many web terms originated in English-speaking countries without consistent shared definitions. These factors created uncertainty for users.
Magerhans said the problem was at least as serious in e-commerce, where misunderstood functions could become useless. Providers should critically check their wording, add explanations where necessary, and tailor offerings to their target groups. The study surveyed 400 German internet users.
