Why Japanese web design is so different (2013)
> Advertising – 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.This is rich. I'm not sure who they're comparing Japan to, because definitely not to modern American/mainstream web customs. In fact, my biggest complaint about the latter could be written like this:Advertising - Rather than being seen as a tool to enable people, modern web 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 minimal concentration of information into the largest space akin to a billboard rather than an interactive tool.> People require a high degree of assurance, by means of lengthy descriptions and technical specifications, before making a purchasing decision – they are not going to be easily swayed by a catchy headline or a pretty image. The adage of “less is more” doesn’t really apply here.That's actually a pretty strong compliment. One could reverse it and ask, why in America and Europe people are easy swayed by lies in "a catchy headline or a pretty image", instead of demanding actual information about the product?