Online systems for serious services

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the quality and functionality of online portals for serious services such as schools, colleges, and banks, compared to more entertainment-focused sites like Newgrounds. Participants explore the reasons behind perceived differences in user experience and design quality.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest that the financial model of a site influences its quality, noting that sites like Newgrounds invest in their portals because they generate revenue from them.
  • Others question the criteria that define "flat out awful" versus "state of the art," proposing that a site can utilize advanced technology yet still be poorly organized or difficult to navigate.
  • One participant highlights specific issues such as inconsistent functionality, frequent errors, and maintenance outages as indicators of poor portal quality.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on what constitutes a quality online portal, with no consensus on the criteria or the reasons behind the differences in quality between serious service portals and entertainment sites.

Contextual Notes

Participants' definitions of "state of the art" and "flat out awful" remain subjective and may depend on individual experiences and expectations, which are not fully articulated.

1MileCrash
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Has anyone ever noticed that the online portals for things like schools, colleges, and banks are flat out awful, while sites like newgrounds feature state of the art online portals?
 
Computer science news on Phys.org
That's because sites like newgrounds make their money off of their online portal.

"Serious services" make their websites to provide information. The least they can get away with spending to achieve that goal is the best.
 
What are some things that (to you) distinguish "flat out awful" from "state of the art?"

To me, it's very possible for a site to be both "state of the art" in the sense of using a lot of new gee-whiz technology, and "flat out awful" in terms of not being logically structured or not able to find information quickly.
 
Working half the time, frequent errors, excessive maintenence outages, etc.
 

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