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Comment by blakesterz | Hacker News Reader

Who is this website designed for? I'm on Chrome and it took me about a dozen presses of the space bar to get an idea of what Google TV is/does and then a bunch more to get some specifics and a price. I assume it looks different on mobile, maybe better / more useful?

Remember the old book/saying "Don't Make Me Think"? (Krug, 2000. Wow, it's 20 years old now?!)

This site made me think in ways that seem really unnecessary.

Serious question, why is this site designed like this, I honestly don't understand the goal here. It's like a slideshow? People in general are so interested in this they do actually page through it? I feel like it took some real effort to finally learn things that should've been on page 1.

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I don't mind scrolljacking when it's compelling.

My only problem is I've scrolled through the whole thing and I'm still not clear if Google TV is a website, a piece of hardware, a bundle of content, or what...?

It's clearly not just hardware because it says "Chromecast with Google TV". But then it definitely involves an app because it says "Use the app" and "Coming soon to smart TVs."

But I still am not exactly clear how it integrates with the streaming apps? In fact I have no idea whatsoever. Do I watch HBO and Netflix through Google TV? Or is Google TV just a glorified playlists app that lets me get recommendations across services, that then links out to watch them in separate apps? Is it a free app or a paid subscription service? Does it give me access to exclusive content? Or network TV?

I'm left with no idea why I would use this or not because I still don't know what it is.

Google TV, as far as I understand it, is a bunch of features across Google services to make TV better.

Like watchlist in Search, the new Google TV app, and the launcher on this Chromecast.

(Disclosure: I work for Google, but I don't work on this)

I find this kind of scrolljacking presentation page incredibly annoying. I get it, it's beautiful and impressive, but it feels like a present that's wrapped with 15 different layers of paper.

I find it depressing knowing Google's track record for these kinds of things, and this probably won't be around in 5 years, at least under this name.

I think this presentation style works for expensive products, like an iPhone or something. For yet another money-making service from Google? Nope.

They send a memo out to the 17 groups working on various TV related projects about consolidation. Then those 17 group heads worry about who is going to be irrelevant by the end of process. Furious game of throne style events take place. And you get what you see. It will all be shutdown and written off by Christmas so don't worry about what it is too much.

If it doesn't get shutdown by Christmas its probably because they working out how to integrate it into Google Docs.

It's designed for regular scrolling. Spacebar jumps break the flow. The goal here isn't to give you information fit for a short one-pager -- it's to create a story and bring you along. It works surprisingly well in Opera (chrome-based).

No, it's jarring for anyone using a mouse with scrollwheel as well. The motion ends up being very choppy. In fact, I'm convinced that this style of web page is designed by designers using apple touchpads (eg. MBP) who think everyone else uses them as well.

I agree that it's jarring and choppy with a scrollwheel. (I'm in no way condoning the design.) You can file it under dark patterns, but I think it may be an accepted limitation - you have to consciously scroll in order to read the individual pseudo-slides. Overscroll? Go back til it's right. You can't just skim this 'presentation'. It's like a user has to 'pull' the information. And the variety of information types (as opposed to a typical webpage that may feature just one type of animation) keeps someone scrolling to 'see what's next'. The user is forever pushed to keep going 'just a little bit more'.

Scrolling it with a touchbar made me nauseous.

apparently it’s designed for people who already know what google tv is

Maybe it's like a hard video game. It takes some real effort to get to the goal, but after you do, you feel particularly good about it!

I'm on Firefox mobile for Android and I had to scroll over and over with elements moving all over the place so I abandoned it to come and read comments so I can find out what it is really about.

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