Thanks for going into more depth on this interesting topic! I think you made a good case that there's a lot to consider when ordering these lists, and that simple rules (whether biased toward or against A-Z order) are all subject to the usual it depends maxim.I think that the type of task you're performing is one of the most important considerations. Your tire example is, for me, impossible to evaluate without knowing why the personas you describe are choosing tire brands from a list.For example, if the consumer's goal is to choose a popular and presumably decent quality tire brand from the list, a most frequently purchased list would be much more helpful. Popularity doesn't guarantee quality, but it conveys some information about the tires, where an A-Z conveys none at all. And if the tire-store owner's goal is to look up information about the consumer's current, obscure brand of tires, an A-Z listing might indeed be more helpful. To my mind the personas are much less important to that example than the user goals and the type of tasks supported by that interface.I'm confused, too, by your call center example. An A-Z order would definitely have been worse in that case because at least with the frequently of use there's a chance that some agents occasionally have time to pick the correct codes, so even though the ones at the top are artificially popular, there might be a grain of truth in there somewhere. Your solution, to narrow the choices, seems quite correct to me, but I don't think it rebuts Nielsen's point; it just indicates that list ordering isn't a panacea.Even in your DMV example: is the A-Z ordering really helpful? Are people who are worried about buying a stolen vehicle looking for the word avoid, or are they scanning for stolen ? Is find the right keyword, or dealer license ? Again, these may be deeper design issues; maybe a How do I dropdown isn't a rich enough widget to do the job it's been assigned.In conclusion, I think Nielsen was wisely provocative in saying A-Z is usually wrong and you are wisely provocative in saying Nielsen is mostly wrong. The truth it depends, and you have to think about each case carefully would never have attracted reader attention.

Business Location: