Re: [IxDA Discuss] Statistics, Facts, Reports on PDF vs. HTML
Thanks Jeff. I agree with your points and have made a lot of them to my colleagues myself. Having someone else say them though does bring me some peace. I find it interesting though that more research hasn't been done on this. The question does seem to come up often in various forms. There are already a few threads on IxDA that discuss this in one way or another. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=25459 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Statistics, Facts, Reports on PDF vs. HTML
I think your observations are good ones, Adam, but you may not find the data you're seeking. I've looked for it, too. I know your frustration. In the absence of information about your specific use case, some food for thought: * For the inexperienced user, well-formed HTML/XHTML is designed to do a lot of little things transparently. If you aren't a frequent user of Acrobat, on the other hand, you could easily overlook controls that exist to make it easier. (Look at the first link I pointed to before, in which they talk about "reflow" controls in PDF -- not enabled by default, and most users won't know about it. That's just one example. You can think of a dozen more in a 30-minute brainstorm.) The point here is that you're asking/requiring the user to get familiar with one more piece of software that he/she may not care to learn well enough to extract the needed data. IT people tend to accept a level of complexity that the average human will not, and I find they often need to be reminded of that. * Along the same lines, HTML/XHTML is inherently designed to be repurposed. Acrobat is designed first and foremost as a printing intermediary. Acrobat is a wonderful program, but that bias shines through; I know Nielsen emphasizes that, but it bears repeating. * Sometimes showing is better than telling. Know what your PDF looks like on a PDA or a cellphone? If you're posting a resource for business travelers or podcast listeners, that might be relevant because a mobile device may be their only choice. Those IT people you're talking with are users too, so _show_ them what doesn't make sense about their idea by going along with it for initial testing. Experience is even harder to refute than a big pile of studies. I hope this helps, Jeff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=25459 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Statistics, Facts, Reports on PDF vs. HTML
Thanks for the input everyone. Jeff: I completely realize that Adobe has made a lot of effort to include things like accessibility, and I commend them for it. The issues I've observed though, is that for a general audience, expectancy changes when users are presented with a PDF on the web, they don't expect to interact with it like a web page and therefor even though you can include things like links in a PDF, they get confused by them. I think this is what Nielson has been observing as well. Pauric: Good point, and I'll keep that in mind. However for the work I'm doing now, the documents in question are for the general public and are not really part of any specific workflow. They're really just content. Bruce: Thanks, I myself am a fan of DITA. Here however I'm not as concerned with a technical solution for publishing the content as I am with the experience of consuming it. What I'm looking for is real world results and analysis of the experience users have when accessing content on the web through a PDF vs. rendered HTML. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=25459 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Statistics, Facts, Reports on PDF vs. HTML
Keep in mind that you might be able to get both. If the source is written in DITA XML, you can output topics in whatever combination you find necessary, and in multiple formats, including HTML and PDF. The barrier to general use is significant, since you have to put in place special software (such as FrameMaker or a web-based tool) to permit wysiwyg editing. The earliest adopters have been publishing groups who are able to commit to coding in a new XML dialect, with the expertise that requires. That said, enterprises with substantial publishing needs are looking at DITA quite seriously, and adoption appears to be taking off. It's a language for authoring, organizing, and publishing lots of chunks of information, especially information that has to be somewhat customized depending on the audience. Its origins are in HTML markup and HTML output. It now supports book-like outputs, and further enhancements are in development. There is a list of organizations that are working with DITA at http://dita.xml.org/deployments I don't make money on DITA (as of now ...) but I contributed to the first release of the language through OASIS. Bruce Esrig . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=25459 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Statistics, Facts, Reports on PDF vs. HTML
Adam:"I myself believe very strongly that PDFs have a certain place on the web and that mimicking web functionality is not it, but the more ammo I go in with the better." I accept that pov but until you've exported a sketch/wireframe/interactive wireframe to pdf and sent it to a client or used it for testing, dont exclude the format completely. Its a very quick and painless workflow for rapid prototyping & review. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=25459 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Statistics, Facts, Reports on PDF vs. HTML
Great question! The decision _may not_ be a bad one, actually, depending on the specifics. A lot of it depends on how you've set up the PDF, which may be somewhat inaccessible by default. Adobe has made some significant effort to help with these concerns, but it's something many people don't bother about. For a start, see these resources: http://www.webaim.org/resources/reader/ http://www.adobe.com/accessibility/index.html . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=25459 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
[IxDA Discuss] Statistics, Facts, Reports on PDF vs. HTML
I am working to make the case to some of my company's IT professionals that the decision to go with PDF delivery for certain reports rather than HTML is a bad one. I've read all of Nielson's articles on PDFs as well as rebuttals by various individuals (where they only seem to point out that PDFs can do more than just be for print; include hyperlinks, interactive forms, etc. but not that they do these things well enough to remove usability concerns). Can anyone else point me to statistics or reports on PDF vs. HTML and PDF for onscreen reading. I myself believe very strongly that PDFs have a certain place on the web and that mimicking web functionality is not it, but the more ammo I go in with the better. Adam Connor User Experience Specialist, CUA User Experience Services (UXS) [EMAIL PROTECTED] - This e-mail transmission may contain information that is proprietary, privileged and/or confidential and is intended exclusively for the person(s) to whom it is addressed. Any use, copying, retention or disclosure by any person other than the intended recipient or the intended recipient's designees is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient or their designee, please notify the sender immediately by return e-mail and delete all copies. - *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
