In the "Cranky User" series from IBM developerWorks, there's this new post where the cranky user takes on his "not so invisible enemy" - page bloat.

Page bloat is so common most users don't even wonder anymore why their favorite Web sites take so long to load; they just wait it out. The cranky user takes on long download times this month, and offers tips and incentive for doing better next time.

This month I'll explain the downsides of putting too much information on your Web pages and offer some tips to put a lid on page bloat.

He offers several ideas about how to keep your pages small and your users happy - things like: "Think Mobile!", "Pretty equals pricey", the "False consensus effect", and "Animated annoyances". All of these can lead to slow load times and unhappy users...

I love his suggestion, too - "Try a few common tasks (order pizza or check for store locations and hours) on a restricted browser; turn off your browser's JavaScript, use a cell phone, whatever it takes. For extra fun, try it on dial-up. Are these tasks as easy and convenient as you think they should be? Why, or why not?"