From Web Critic to Cookie Monster - People

Industry Standard, The, Sept 18, 2000 by Karen Solomon

As a leading critic of Web design, Jakob Nielsen probably thought he knew all there was to know about cookies. Except that he'd become one.

As part of a growing cult of faux worship surrounding Nielsen, disgruntled designer Mike Monteiro ordered a batch of real cookies decorated with Nielsen's often photographed face and auctioned them to other cult followers on eBay and Amazon. Monteiro, who is the art director at HotStudio.com when he's not peddling sweet revenge, was inflamed by a recent Nielsen column, "End of Web Design," in which Nielsen said sites must "tone down their individual appearance" to appeal to the masses.

"He seems disdainful of designers," says Monteiro. "I thought he could stand to be a little sweeter."

Monteiro takes his cue from underground Web sites and galleries that poke fun at Nielsen's criticism. There's the Jakob Nielsen drinking game (www.rc3.org/clips/nielsen_drinking_game.html), the WWJD (What Would Jakob Do?) mousepad, and a parody of Nielsen's Uselt.com, called UseltOrLoselt.com. Monteiro ordered 18 shortbread cookies from Zing.com, each with a full-color Nielsen frosted on top. Soon after, the cookies were auctioning for between $5 and $12.

Nielsen hasn't tasted the cookie or played the drinking game, but he calls the snack food the "ultimate flattery" and could even see himself moving into merchandising. "Sports stars sell lots of stuff that isn't for sports. So why not usability gurus?"

Other Nielsen collectibles are likely on the way, says Monteiro: "Designers are always looking for something mischievous to do."