Comments on: Yahoo Slams Google’s Usability

By: Greg Scowen

Greg Scowen — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 09:19:19 +0000

I had my suspicions, but I wanted you to confirm this for me. Thanks Andy.

By: Andy Beal

Andy Beal — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 09:17:08 +0000

Greg – not all press is good press, esp if it casts a negative light on Yahoo. Some might say it smacks of desperation. Let the users decide which company has the best products.

By: Jason Schramm

Jason Schramm — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 07:15:20 +0000

I’m a big fan of simplicity and ease-of-use, and Google has delivered on that. Yahoo has the benefit of being around longer, so of course they should have better usability. Give Google time. Also give Yahoo time to get even better. I don’t agree with Bonforte that Gmail and Google Talk have poor usability. They work very well, and are easy to use. Google Talk especially has only the necessary features, and it integrates well with Gmail.

By: Greg Scowen

Greg Scowen — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 06:28:26 +0000

It is interesting to watch the video of the conversation where this article stemmed from:
http://www.siliconvalleysleuth.com/2007/02/yahoo_to_google.html

My feeling is that if Bonforte isn’t well-schooled in the dangers of opening ones mouth before one thinks, that he should be kept away from cameras and recording devices.

I may be wrong here, I am a usability nut after all and not an expert on PR or marketing, but doesn’t this open up Yahoo to a lot of scrutiny Andy?

Or is this a case of all press is good press?

By: ResourceShelf » Briefs: Library Copyright Alliance Strongly Supports HR 1201, the FAIR USE Act; A Look at Mobio

Thu, 01 Mar 2007 04:59:12 +0000

[...] + Yahoo Slams Googleâ€™s Usability (via Marketing Pilgrim and SEL) [...]

By: Andy Beal

Andy Beal — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 20:27:15 +0000

Graeme – I don’t think it really matters what Bonforte was talking about. He’s still in a glass house throwing stones. I think Google, Yahoo and even MSFT, have their usability strengths and weaknesses.

I’ve worked with Google’s usability team, and they’re very much on the ball.

By: Graeme Pounds

Graeme Pounds — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 20:07:22 +0000

Seems I am the only person not drunk on google kool-aid on this posting, but here goes…

To be fair to Bonforte, he was talking about gmail and gtalk (he never said anything about search). Can anyone here, in all honesty, say that those products have better usability than their Yahoo! counterparts?

And if GOOG is looking to hire over 30 user experience people right now, I would say that maybe they are doing so because they figured out they aren’t too strong in that area!

By: Andy Beal

Andy Beal — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 19:10:21 +0000

Good observations. Either Yahoo’s decided to play a battle of wits (strange, when they’re unarmed) or Bonforte is in a little hot water with the Yahoo chiefs today.

By: David Mahon

David Mahon — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 16:59:46 +0000

I like Yahoo’s homepage, and I guess they were around first, but Google’s user-friendliness (along with their vastly more relevant search results) is what drove users in their droves away from Yahoo in the first place.

And in terms of consumer applications, well Sketch-Up, Earth, AdWords, AdSense, Desktop…need I go on? These have made my life easier/more interesting. That’s something Yahoo can’t claim.

By: Jordan McCollum

Jordan McCollum — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 15:48:12 +0000

I’m thinking: what’s unusable about a white page with a search box on it? Even the personalized home page is a lot less cluttered and easier to use, IMO, than Yahoo’s. Though they’re getting better, I can’t find anything on Yahoo’s site without searching for it. And even then, sometimes it’s touch-and-go.

By: Yahoo: Google “Lacking In Usability” - Internet Insider Report

Yahoo: Google “Lacking In Usability” - Internet Insider Report — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 15:33:10 +0000

[...] Andy Beal commented on Bonforte’s remarks, and pointed out something he found interesting about Bonforte and the Yahoo Messenger client he oversees: Is this the same messenger product that tries to hijack your browser settings and change your default search engine to Yahoo? Well, I guess removing clear indications that Yahoo’s about to hijack your settings, is one way to “increase the time that users spend using them.” [...]

By: Greg Scowen

Greg Scowen — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 11:36:06 +0000

I picked up on this one too.

My question is if Google care so little about usability, why are they advertising in excess of 30 positions in user experience fields right now?

Moreover… since both companies started out as search engines, should Yahoo be nitpicking about the success or failure of ‘complimentary products’ when it is clear that Google is doing a better job on the search engine front?

Seems like a little ‘self-confidence exercise’ to me.

By: Ahmed Bilal

Ahmed Bilal — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 09:32:09 +0000

I thought only football managers engaged in prick-waving? Apparently Yahoo are not above it either.