A Typical Web User (frightening character)

Web users are goal driven

Today's experienced users are not killing time. Rather they are after pieces of information, and if your site cannot provide the answers they know that there are plenty of other sites that might.

Web users are impatient

The web is about choice and control but if your user cannot determine what those choices are within 20 seconds they will leave. Users are always looking for the next place to click - the next horizon.

Web users don't like reading online

Studies have shown that web users prefer to read summaries or synopsis rather than full articles. Even when a user decides to take on a piece of writing they will tend to skim and scan the prose rather than read it word for word.

Jacob Nielsen (useit.com) believes that reading online is significantly more tiring and 25% slower than reading from the printed page.

Further reading: http://www.useit.com/alertbox/whyscanning.html