I've spent some time over the last couple weeks writing about web creation basics and great design examples, so today I'm going to devote a post to numbers and statistics resources related to the Internet (and statistics about nearly everything else as well). Obviously such data plays a large part in understanding web usage trends and audiences and can be important in understanding demographics in relation to design considerations.
For starters, the websites with the largest bulk of information have a three-column design. ICANN, Nielson, CAIDA, and the Pew Research Center sites all employ this format in order to squeeze a tremendous amount of data into a relatively small space. The Pew Center homepage, in particular, makes relatively good use of this design to showcase the wide diversity of trends that they track. Everything from Internet usage to the "daily number" which, today, tracks the fact that less than half of Americans feel a television is a household necessity, and yet purchases of flat screens are on the rise—how fickle we are in our opinions and actions and how useful that distinction between the two must be to retailers.
The Pew homepage does a good job of balancing the negative space with the text- and image-heavy columns but even so it takes a moment to adjust to the packed page. The use of bright banner style headers helps to organize the information and cut down on a cluttered feel, and makes it possible to present all of the latest information in one place that is relatively easy to scan. The navigation is clear and organized, which is imperative for a site that presents this volume of content. The statistics related to technology tracked by the Pew Center are especially useful because they offer some insight into who is using the Internet and for what, as well as general attitudes towards technology. This is obviously important (at least for larger organizations) in gauging what Internet services and resources will offer the biggest payoff, as well as gauging where the target audience might be. For instance, if you have a service that targets foreign-born Latinos, it would be useful to know that the Pew has discovered that "while 85% of native-born Latinos ages 16 and older go online, only about half (51%) of foreign-born Latinos do so." Obviously, exclusively Internet-based access would not be an effective means of outreach to this population.
The Pew is a great resource because all the information is well researched, socially significant, easily accessible, and free.
Check out the website here:
http://pewresearch.org/
The Internet Traffic Report is another statistical resource that is worth a look, but this time the data is all technical. Essentially, every five minutes the website updates with a fresh view of data flow around the world. Why should you care? On a large scale you can track significant issues and slowdowns in traffic that might be affecting particular geographic areas; on a smaller scale, you can investigate your own troubles in connecting to websites and determine if it is a problem with your local connection or a general slowdown in some particular region of the Internet. The website is really straightforward with no frills. It measures Internet traffic and that is what it presents. A couple cool features though, allow you to add the live stats to your webpage or to download a Windows compatible version to track the stats in real time without visiting the website (no Mac support here though, which is an issue that, albeit a common one, is still a problem).
Check out the website here:
http://www.internettrafficreport.com/
Another simple website that tracks basic stats is Internet World Stats. Just as it sounds, it offers data on Internet access numbers worldwide. What is useful here is the ability to put information in perspective. For instance, while total world Internet users are approaching 2 billion in number, the percentages according to population are telling; Africa may have almost 111 million users, but that represents only about 11% of the population. It really spotlights the reality of Internet access (and by extension information access and communication) in a global context. This data may also be useful in clarifying assumptions. For example, Asia may have over 800 million users, but that represents only 21.5% of the population; this is in contrast to common beliefs that Internet access in Asian countries is much more widespread.
Check out the website here:
http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm
On a more complex note, the Cooperative Association for Internet Data Analysis (CAIDA) fills an important role in bringing together organizations, from commercial to nonprofit to government, with the goal of sharing information that can help the Internet infrastructure grow in a manageable and organized manner. This is certainly an oversimplification of the role this organization plays, however the best way to get a sense of the diversity of projects, recommendations, and theories this organization investigates is to check out the website. It has a wealth of information that is organized into easy navigation tabs-publications, research tools, data, etc. and is a great resource for scholarly research, although the diversity of papers and datasets can be overwhelming. This is definitely a repository for all Internet-related research topics imaginable.
Check out the website here:
http://www.caida.org/home/
In general the information above is enlightening, although it is more immediately useful in a scholarly context or to a large organization that needs to more carefully weigh Internet audiences and access issues (I have no illusions that thousands of people around the world will need or want to access my website). Still, all of this data helps to shed light on actual usage trends and some of the more resource intensive sites provide a lot of good information about not just audience, but the structure of the Internet as a global entity. Gaining a better understanding of this sheds a lot of light on the communication potential and currently realities of the Web.
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