JN and PDF

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PDF: Unfit for Human Consumption (Alertbox)
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Given PDF’s poor usability for online reading, what are Web designers to do? My next Alertbox will discuss PDF presentation strategies that minimize user suffering.
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i hope that he takes into account the latest acrobat reader, whose search functionality is excellent.

That’s about one of my only beefs w/ JN, is that he seems to be “old school”, which isn’t a bad thing (i sometimes look at him as the Warren Buffet of web usability), but he rips into Acrobats search facilities as if he doesn’t realize that Acrobat has a much improved search facility.

I agree, pdf isn’t a good format for navigating, but who uses it heavily in place of web pages anyway, the way he describes it?

  • http://thelionsweb.com/weblog JC

    Mostly people who know Acrobat and don’t want to be bothered learning web design. I’ve only ever seen one site that used it extensively and it was annoying as hell to get around in. We use it for things like disclosures and annual reports that customers might want to print out.

    JN is a zealot, and like all zealots, should be taken with a bit of skepticism. He is however a zealot with many good ideas and suggestions, so worth reading, rather than pelting with rubbish like you might want to with the fellow on the street screaming about the world ending.

  • http://jon.madisons.com me

    Right; i’m not sure what sites he speaks of that use pdf non-judiciously. Most folk in my “sphere” would have the common sense to use pdf judiciously on a site, so maybe it’s just that i’m missing on who his audience is.

    JN definitely has quite a bit of great ideas, that’s why i continue to receive alertbox–it’s definitely good to have ideas that are sometimes wacky if they’re at least based on conclusions from observations/research. :)