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Quiz: Nielsen's Chapter 4

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1. Nielsen says the most frequently-asked question he hears is, "How Wide Should the Page Be?"

Nielsen gives or suggests all but one of the following answers. Choose the one answer he doesn't recommend in the chapter:

Consider the average width of pages on the Web
640 pixels for at least several years to come
300 pixels wide just to be sure
Use liquid design that's independent of screen resolution

2, 3, and 4. In Chapter 4, Nielsen says that a link is not just a link, and that there are actually three kinds of links that can appear on any page:

  • Embedded,
  • Structural
  • Associative.

These distinctions are important, says Nielsen, because they represent different purposes, and users who assume, for example, that they're clicking a "structural" link will become disoriented if they're actually clicking an "associative" link.

Define each kind of link by choosing from the following definitions:

A. Embedded links are

underlined words in the text which indicate "more stuff" is available
links that appear on secondary pages other than the first page of a site
links inside of child windows

B. Structural links are

links created with Javascript rather than traditional HTML
links that systematically point to other levels of the site, giving us an outline of the site's structure of meaning
links used to create visual hierarchy on a single page

C. Associative links are

links that reveal the site creator's unique mental associations, creating a sense of intimacy with the user
"see also" links about pages that might be of interest to the user
another Javascript behavior

5. According to Nielsen, though metaphor is sometimes over-used and confusing on the Web, there are effective reasons and methods to use metaphor in designing Web sites.

Choose the reason or method that is not one that Nielsen gives as effective:

expliots the Web's fantasy-based culture, and encourages imaginative game- and role-playing beyond the everyday world
provides a unifying framework for the site that makes it feel like more than a collection of individual items
can facilitate learning by allowing users to draw upon the knowledge they already have


All course materials by Craig Stroupe unless noted otherwise. See my home page.