I went to the zoo today. I was looking forward to seeing the seals, and hoped I’d get to see a feeding.
At the entrance gate, I paid for one admission and went through the turnstile — click clunk — and was immediately confronted by a host of zoo employees and animals blocking my path. All of them were trying to get my attention in a cacaphony with shouts, music, and flashing lights. I looked for a sign showing me the way to the seals.
Two guys with a big banner marched in place directly in front of me, playing some kind of John Philip Sousa tune on trumpets with their free hands. Their banner read, “Zoo names Barry Cherry to Board of Trustees.”
A woman with a chimp in her arms beckoned me to come with her to the Monkey House. A man with a huge bird on his shoulder — an Osprey? — shouted, “come experience the wonder of bird life in the Vivian K. Tovarisch Aviary!” On one side, a vendor with a cart called to me “Hot dogs, he-ah!” Then a woman in a nice periwinkle suit appeared out of nowhere, gently took my elbow and began guiding me through the crowd. She asked me to donate to the zoo. Sheesh. I’d just paid $14 admission. A family behind me turned around, went back through the turnstile and left.
Off to the side was an information booth. I walked over and asked when the next seal feeding was. “11 O’clock” I was told. I checked my watch. It was 10 minutes to 11. “How do I get there?” I asked. The teenager behind the counter handed me a map, then turned her attention to another customer.
Thankfully, zoo entrances aren’t really like that. But the typical home page on the web is. It’s crowded, trying to present everything that the site has to offer, 99% of which is of little or no interest to an individual visitor. It doesn’t work. Most visitors linger there for only a moment, orienting themselves. Half find something that looks like what they want. Half give up or lose interest and leave.
A home page is just a brief stop along the way for visitors. It is not an end point, it is a beginning. They know what they are looking for, but do you?
