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A comment on Why Japanese web design is so different (2013).

Re:Why Japanese web design is so different (2013) by grenoire on Friday November 20, 2020 @04:10PM (#25164987)
Regarding advertising, the article states: "Rather than being seen as a tool to enable people Japanese companies often see the web as just another advertising platform to push their message across as loudly as possible. Websites ends up being about the maximal concentration of information into the smallest space akin to a pamphlet rather than an interactive tool."

I find this quite ironic, especially given how unusable most websites are due to third party advertising resources being loaded into them these days. HN users in particular will agree I bet, ad blocking seems prevalent here because of that exact reason.

I think Japanese websites are better in this sense because their ad technology is usually 'outdated' banner ads and internally served sponsorship content. They're luckily stuck in the era of static and freshly-baked server-side content.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Why Japanese web design is so different (2013) by Wohlf on Friday November 20, 2020 @05:13PM (#25165705)
I agree with you but unfortunately these sites almost always have poor usability too.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Why Japanese web design is so different (2013) by grenoire on Friday November 20, 2020 @05:19PM (#25165764)
Well, it's one single component of the problem, there are many other factors involved in bad UX. Resources wasted on advertising are unequivocally the hardest to justify out of them all.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Why Japanese web design is so different (2013) by presentation on Saturday November 21, 2020 @04:49AM (#25168741)
Isn’t it the easiest to justify? As in, you justify putting ads on your site because you get money for it.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Why Japanese web design is so different (2013) by _nosewings_ on Friday November 20, 2020 @07:16PM (#25166728)
IMO, the Web could stand to be a little bit harder to use.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Why Japanese web design is so different (2013) by kristopolous on Saturday November 21, 2020 @12:59AM (#25168097)
I've, unrealistically wanted there to be "read only" access where someone would then apply to some organization demonstrating aptitude for write access.

I'm just joking but then again I'm really not

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Why Japanese web design is so different (2013) by krapp on Friday November 20, 2020 @07:16PM (#25166730)
Why?
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Why Japanese web design is so different (2013) by nosmokewhereiam on Saturday November 21, 2020 @12:28PM (#25171079)
I bet this is related to Eternal September
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Why Japanese web design is so different (2013) by antepodius on Friday November 20, 2020 @09:27PM (#25167445)
To filter out idiots and the lazy. 'Normies'.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Why Japanese web design is so different (2013) by astrobe_ on Saturday November 21, 2020 @04:22AM (#25168659)
Snobbism aside, I would gladly give up on some "usability" for a passive web (basically raw HTML or even Gopher or Gemini) and a separate active web (basically a proper virtual machine perhaps like Squeak/Pharo).

But as soon as you cut off ways to make the Web more "engaging", it makes it far less interesting for the ads market, so less contents. Even individual content producers (e.g. Youtubers, Twitchers) look for monetization these days.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Why Japanese web design is so different (2013) by jhgb on Saturday November 21, 2020 @07:47AM (#25169399)
> and a separate active web (basically a proper virtual machine perhaps like Squeak/Pharo).

Something like WebAssembly, then?

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Why Japanese web design is so different (2013) by astrobe_ on Tuesday November 24, 2020 @12:43PM (#25200818)
AFAICT WebAssembly is in the continuum of HTML/CSS/JS, and is intended to "make things faster", so there is no reason to separate things that are essentially text and medias from things that are essentially programs.

In other words, WebAssembly won't cut the Gordian knot, in my opinion.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Why Japanese web design is so different (2013) by oxford_comma on Friday November 20, 2020 @10:52PM (#25167742)
Here is where I consider myself a segregationist. Give them their web: Facebook, YouTube, Google, et al. -- leave me out of normie net.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Why Japanese web design is so different (2013) by kwhitefoot on Saturday November 21, 2020 @02:54AM (#25168411)
You needn't join in. You are free to segregate yourself.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Why Japanese web design is so different (2013) by ZWoz on Saturday November 21, 2020 @06:04AM (#25169008)
Are they? You still are in same infrastructure and legal framework. Thats like saying you are free not visiting neighbouring apartments. Their "influence" (smoke, noise) is still leaking to your space. Same with web. Like facebook negatively affecting separated web forums.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Why Japanese web design is so different (2013) by krapp on Saturday November 21, 2020 @08:07AM (#25169512)
You can find another infrastructure and legal framework like Project Gemini, and I'm sure other separatist protocols will pop up in the future.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Why Japanese web design is so different (2013) by ekianjo on Friday November 20, 2020 @06:31PM (#25166416)
> I think Japanese websites are better

They are only better if you never use them.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Why Japanese web design is so different (2013) by knolax on Friday November 20, 2020 @08:02PM (#25166996)
The few Japanese websites I've used have been superior to their American equivalents. Kotobank is definitely a lot more pleasing to the eyes than Webster's.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Why Japanese web design is so different (2013) by stolenmerch on Friday November 20, 2020 @11:23PM (#25167863)
Seems like every knock off search engine/content farm site.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Why Japanese web design is so different (2013) by knolax on Saturday November 21, 2020 @04:06PM (#25172772)
? It's not a search engine. Did you not even get past the second page.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Why Japanese web design is so different (2013) by ekianjo on Sunday November 22, 2020 @04:16AM (#25176111)
So you refute an argument based on a few exceptions ?
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Why Japanese web design is so different (2013) by AniseAbyss on Saturday November 21, 2020 @05:20AM (#25168850)
Every once in a while I browse the internet without an adblocker and I wonder how people can live like this.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Why Japanese web design is so different (2013) by rowanG077 on Friday November 20, 2020 @06:07PM (#25166202)
This!!! I'd much, much rather have some obvious in thr face banner ad then the shit that passes for modern web these days. Less information does not mean more useable.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Why Japanese web design is so different (2013) by mjgs on Saturday November 21, 2020 @06:29AM (#25169098)
Does anyone know if all the GDPR type laws in EU and US are causing Japanese website makers to add consent forms on their websites?

That’s probably the worst usability problem with the current web, it used to be popups, now it’s constant in your face consent forms. Consent forms are really just legally enforced popups.

Probably US users don’t know how bad it is because the US sites only add them to requests originating in the EU.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Why Japanese web design is so different (2013) by julianlam on Saturday November 21, 2020 @08:02AM (#25169477)
I don't think that's the case, if only anecdotally, as I have seen a huge uptick in these consent modals in Canada.

Most of these sites needed or wanted them implemented on the cheap. Restricting it to EU customers would require extra work...

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Why Japanese web design is so different (2013) by mjgs on Saturday November 21, 2020 @08:40AM (#25169676)
It’s surprising to me that sites which depend on users seeing their content to make money, would add something that blocks the user from seeing the site.

It makes no sense. If there isn’t a legal requirement, why would they risk impacting their ability to make money?

[ Parent | on HN ]