[thelist] maximum page load for users leave?

[aardvark]

> From: "Liam Delahunty" <ldelahunty at britstream.com>
>
> >by the way, i don't buy the "under 10 seconds" argument
>
> I do. Sometimes. In (real-life real people), user tests I performed,
> I've found that if the page takes a while to show *anything* (nested
[...]
> and hits back or refresh.

my own user tests suggest 8 seconds is the max... interestingly, that
number is the same as another number that was found when testing
operating systems -- how long will a user wait before hitting the
three-finger salute?  8 seconds... how to change that?  make icons
animate while they wait (etc.)...

> On the other hand if the page has been crafted so _something_ starts
> to load and the user is aware that more is to come then they'll wait
[...]

progressive table layouts, for one, can help... stack your tables...
so, if you are properly re-using images, your header/navbar can
perhaps display as soon as the code comes down for it, while it
finishes downloading the rest of the content... this can make a >8sec
load time feel like a lot less because of the perception...

> >not everybody's on cable, and people who aren't have more patience
>
> That's true, but so is the converse, (A)DSL, cable, etc has made users
> even hungrier and less patient. A sites problem _could_ be impatient
> cable users who are looking for a broadband fix promised by the
> telecom adverts that the Internet just can't deliver to regular users
[...]

and this is why friends refuse to surf on my 56k line... even the odd
4sec page makes them all grumpypants...

i've seen that effect a lot when testing...

--
Read the evolt.org case study
Usability: The Site Speaks for Itself
http://amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1904151035/evoltorg02-20
ISBN: 1904151035