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The peculiar case of Japanese web design (2022)

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Re: The peculiar case of Japanese web design (2022)

#101

Post by ghosty141 »

Multicomp wrote: post #98
usui wrote: post #22

I read this piece when it came out in 2022. Maybe it should be marked with "(2022)". Previous discussion https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33745146 I just want to add that in addition to peculiar web design, Japanese websites have a way of assuming architectures or usage patterns where servers need to sleep or do some kind of scheduled job, which is really weird for people used to sites that need to account for a…

I forget if it was Samsung or Sony, but somewhere along the way on my internet journey, someone claimed, without evidence, and thus I have none either, that the incentive structure for having prestige jobs at large technology companies was always in hardware design and software was seen as easier and more low class. So since nobody will get any promotions for running good software, they are not incentivized to run go…

This was and partly is the attitude you can find in german non-software businesses where software is gaining more and more influenxe. For example car manufacturing.

Re: The peculiar case of Japanese web design (2022)

#102

Post by socalgal2 »

usui wrote: post #22

I read this piece when it came out in 2022. Maybe it should be marked with "(2022)". Previous discussion https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33745146 I just want to add that in addition to peculiar web design, Japanese websites have a way of assuming architectures or usage patterns where servers need to sleep or do some kind of scheduled job, which is really weird for people used to sites that need to account for a…

One of the worst sites in existence is the Japanese Visa site they direct people to to make QR codes for when you land in Japan as a tourist. It's atrocious.

https://services.digital.go.jp/en/visit-japan-web/

I hate it so much I kind of wish I could volunteer to fix it. I suspect the process though would be torture

Note: experience on mobile is bad. I don't remember if desktop is better.

Re: The peculiar case of Japanese web design (2022)

#103

Post by BalinKing »

juniperus wrote: post #37

Have you seen a japanese newspaper? the characters alone are very information dense. and a newspaper front page can be very information dense just by the nature of the language/writing system. otherwise, a lot of japanese webpages just seem impossible to navigate to me. Some images are clickable, some aren't, you still have to scroll to reach where you're going. It's just a bit like a maze, and a lot of what you see…

To be fair, Japanese headlines use a specific writing style that is much more compressed than normal text, like how English newspaper headlines drop words like “a” or “is” to save space.

Re: The peculiar case of Japanese web design (2022)

#104

Post by adzm »

mbo wrote: post #68

I have a little theory that a thing that makes Japanese website feel Japanese is their choice of typeface, which will almost always be something with robust CJK character support. This typeface is preserved when Chrome auto-translates the site. But fonts with good CJK support have wider Latin letter-forms, even when not in `font-variant-east-asian: 'full-width'` mode. I write about this here: https://maxbo.me/subordi…

Is there a reason why several typefaces on your site appear to be hello Kitty glyphs?

Re: The peculiar case of Japanese web design (2022)

#105

Post by mananaysiempre »

bandrami wrote: post #52
usui wrote: post #22

I read this piece when it came out in 2022. Maybe it should be marked with "(2022)". Previous discussion https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33745146 I just want to add that in addition to peculiar web design, Japanese websites have a way of assuming architectures or usage patterns where servers need to sleep or do some kind of scheduled job, which is really weird for people used to sites that need to account for a…

The US Social Security Administration website is available from 6am to 8pm, Monday to Friday (or at least it was that way a few years ago)

I’ve heard such things in the US were because of accessibility law that required the website (for the general population) to work no better than the associated call center (for the people who can’t interact with the website for whatever reason).

On one hand, that seems obviously stupid. On the other, I don’t see how you could phrase a legal requirement of this nature.

Re: The peculiar case of Japanese web design (2022)

#106

Post by pezezin »

iamnothere wrote: post #8

I prefer the Japanese style. Information dense, yet clean. It reminds me of the web before Apple-style minimalism took over. To contrast with a superficially similar style, Chinese web stores are also maximalist, but they tend to assault you with popup coupons, confetti effects, and other such things. Japanese style feels very efficient and utilitarian by comparison.

Do you actually use Japanese websites on frequently? Because I do live in Japan, and I hate their websites with a passion. Go use any Japanese online shop; the purchase flows are usually absurdly convoluted, and they are so information dense that sometimes you don't know what you are actually going to purchase. It is one of the reasons I rarely use Rakuten anymore...

Re: The peculiar case of Japanese web design (2022)

#107

Post by pezezin »

socalgal2 wrote: post #102
usui wrote: post #22

I read this piece when it came out in 2022. Maybe it should be marked with "(2022)". Previous discussion https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33745146 I just want to add that in addition to peculiar web design, Japanese websites have a way of assuming architectures or usage patterns where servers need to sleep or do some kind of scheduled job, which is really weird for people used to sites that need to account for a…

One of the worst sites in existence is the Japanese Visa site they direct people to to make QR codes for when you land in Japan as a tourist. It's atrocious. https://services.digital.go.jp/en/visit-japan-web/ I hate it so much I kind of wish I could volunteer to fix it. I suspect the process though would be torture Note: experience on mobile is bad. I don't remember if desktop is better.

I live in Japan and every time I go through the airport I refuse to use the QR code customs forms, the old paper based form is so much easier...

Re: The peculiar case of Japanese web design (2022)

#108

Post by pezezin »

ghaff wrote: post #64
tshaddox wrote: post #16

> While the nation is known abroad for minimalist lifestyles, their websites are oddly maximalist. I’m not aware of this stereotype of Japanese minimalism. I guess there’s Marie Kondo, and some Japanese high-end dining tends towards minimalism. But then there’s manga, anime, kawaii, Nintendo, Sega, Miyazaki, etc., a lot of which is closer to maximalism than minimalism.

Having attended a lot of conferences in Japan, I would have said signage and the like tends towards the amateur and garish. Which isn't inconsistent with what you wrote. I've always found Japan a weird mix of refined/minimalist and kitsch.

I read a description somewhere that I loved: the Japanese have a very refined sense of beauty, but no sense of ugliness.

Re: The peculiar case of Japanese web design (2022)

#109

Post by usui »

Multicomp wrote: post #98
usui wrote: post #22

I read this piece when it came out in 2022. Maybe it should be marked with "(2022)". Previous discussion https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33745146 I just want to add that in addition to peculiar web design, Japanese websites have a way of assuming architectures or usage patterns where servers need to sleep or do some kind of scheduled job, which is really weird for people used to sites that need to account for a…

I forget if it was Samsung or Sony, but somewhere along the way on my internet journey, someone claimed, without evidence, and thus I have none either, that the incentive structure for having prestige jobs at large technology companies was always in hardware design and software was seen as easier and more low class. So since nobody will get any promotions for running good software, they are not incentivized to run go…

Yes this is true and it might possibly be true for the rest of East Asia though I'm not sure. Software is considered intangible and thus low value that anyone can do, whereas hardware is a real "thing" that you can hold in your hands, and is therefore more prestigious. Well, this way of thinking has made things into the current state.

Re: The peculiar case of Japanese web design (2022)

#110

Post by windows2020 »

Jn2G3Np8 wrote: post #32
usui wrote: post #22

I read this piece when it came out in 2022. Maybe it should be marked with "(2022)". Previous discussion https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33745146 I just want to add that in addition to peculiar web design, Japanese websites have a way of assuming architectures or usage patterns where servers need to sleep or do some kind of scheduled job, which is really weird for people used to sites that need to account for a…

I found this out when buying a Japan Rail Pass for a trip a few years ago, blew my mind. https://www.japanrailpass-reservation.net/ only works 4:00–23:30 Japan time.

Maybe that's when they run all those crazy legacy jobs, but they politely shut the site down for it.
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