Top Ten Mistakes in Web Design
1.
Using Frames
Splitting a page into frames is very confusing
for users since frames break the fundamental user model of the
web page. All of a sudden, you cannot bookmark the current
page and return to it (the bookmark points to another version
of the frameset), URLs stop working, and printouts become
difficult. Even worse, the predictability of user actions goes
out the door: who knows what information will appear where
when you click on a link?
2.
Gratuitous Use of Bleeding-Edge Technology
Don't try to attract users to your site by
bragging about use of the latest web technology. You may
attract a few nerds, but mainstream users will care more about
useful content and your ability to offer good customer
service. Using the latest and greatest before it is even out
of beta is a sure way to discourage users: if their system
crashes while visiting your site, you can bet that many of
them will not be back. Unless you are in the business of
selling Internet products or services, it is better to wait
until some experience has been gained with respect to the
appropriate ways of using new techniques. When desktop
publishing was young, people put twenty fonts in their
documents: let's avoid similar design bloat on the Web.
As an example: Use VRML if you actually have
information that maps naturally onto a three-dimensional space
(e.g., architectural design, shoot-them-up games, surgery
planning). Don't use VRML if your data is N-dimensional since
it is usually better to produce 2-dimensional overviews that
fit with the actual display and input hardware available to
the user.
3.
Scrolling Text, Marquees, and Constantly Running Animations
Never include page elements that move
incessantly. Moving images have an overpowering effect on the
human peripheral vision. A web page should not emulate Times
Square in New York City in its constant attack on the human
senses: give your user some peace and quiet to actually read
the text!
Of course, <BLINK> is simply evil. Enough said.
4.
Complex URLs
Even though machine-level addressing like the
URL should never have been exposed in the user interface, it
is there and we have found that users actually try to decode
the URLs of pages to infer the structure of web sites. Users
do this because of the horrifying lack of support for
navigation and sense of location in current web browsers.
Thus, a URL should contain human-readable directory and file
names that reflect the nature of the information space.
Also, users sometimes need to type in a URL, so
try to minimize the risk of typos by using short names with
all lower-case characters and no special characters (many
people don't know how to type a ~).
5.
Orphan Pages
Make sure that all pages include a clear
indication of what web site they belong to since users may
access pages directly without coming in through your home
page. For the same reason, every page should have a link up to
your home page as well as some indication of where they fit
within the structure of your information space.
6.
Long Scrolling Pages
Only 10% of users scroll beyond the information
that is visible on the screen when a page comes up. All
critical content and navigation options should be on the top
part of the page.
Note added December 1997:
More recent studies show that users are more willing to scroll
now than they were in the early years of the Web. I still
recommend minimizing scrolling on navigation pages, but it is
no longer an absolute ban.
7.
Lack of Navigation Support
Don't assume that users know as much about your
site as you do. They always have difficulty finding
information, so they need support in the form of a strong
sense of structure and place. Start your design with a good
understanding of the structure of the information space and
communicate this structure explicitly to the user. Provide a
site map and let users know where they are and where they can
go. Also, you will need a good search feature since even the
best navigation support will never be enough.
8.
Non-Standard Link Colors
Links to pages that have not been seen by the
user are blue; links to previously seen pages are purple or
red. Don't mess with these colors since the ability to
understand what links have been followed is one of the few
navigational aides that is standard in most web browsers.
Consistency is key to teaching users what the link colors
mean.
9.
Outdated Information
Budget to hire a web gardener as part of your
team. You need somebody to root out the weeds and replant the
flowers as the website changes but most people would rather
spend their time creating new content than on maintenance. In
practice, maintenance is a cheap way of enhancing the content
on your website since many old pages keep their relevance and
should be linked into the new pages. Of course, some pages are
better off being removed completely from the server after
their expiration date.
10.
Overly Long Download Times
I am placing this issue last because most
people already know about it; not because it is the least
important. Traditional human factors guidelines indicate 10
seconds as the maximum response time before users lose
interest. On the web, users have been trained to endure so
much suffering that it may be acceptable to increase this
limit to 15 seconds for a few pages.
Even websites with high-end users need to
consider download times: many B2B customers access websites
from home computers in the evening because they are too busy
to surf the Web during working hours.
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