Online press rooms frustrate journalists

Journalists need facts and phone numbers, not Flash animation, study says

You’ve jazzed up your corporate Web site with Flash animation and fast-moving videos, but did you forget the simple things, such as adding a “contact” link to your media relations team? If you forgot, apparently you’re not alone.

A new study on the usability of Web site press rooms shows that journalists remain mighty frustrated about the lack of easy-to-find information on corporate sites.

“When corporations design Web sites, they design them for themselves,” explains Hoa Loranger, director of Nielsen Norman Group, based in Fremont, Calif. Loranger is co-author of the consulting firm’s new report, which studied 40 journalists and their use of the Web.

“The designers of these press rooms don’t create them based on the needs of the users,” says Loranger.

In an age of overworked journalists with ever-shorter attention spans, the impact of a poorly designed press room is substantial.