The Cardinal Sins of Web Design

What do you really really abhore in a website.
Do you hate frames?
Spit at layers?
Go bananas when you find a site with no consistency?

Personally, I used to use frames a lot but tend not to at all really anymore for a number of reasons (one being search engines get confused!).

Now my argument with a colleague is about opening in a new window. I believe that all external links should open in a new window and internal links should open in the same window. My colleague disagrees and thinks all links should open in the same window. Our friend Mr Neilsen agrees with him.

What do the rest of you think, and what do you hate with a passion in a website?

I'd say either, since it depends, sometimes.

But I'd say certain things should open in a new window, such as links on a message board, but on a site it varys among the user. Either could be right, it's just based of preference.

i only like frames with a flash menu

Bad Colors == makes me want to leave
Eye candy == good!

I alway put external links in a new window and internal ones in te same.

Frankly, I want the user to stay as long as possible, not leave after the first link

i hate more than anything else inconsistent nav or unlabelled nav or nav you have to click to get :rolleyes:

on commercial sites at least.

I guess I'm one of the types that hates clashing colors, multiple fonts - an issue stemming from my print days - and I don't like cluttered design either.

frames... never liked. neither clumsily animated gifs.

sites with poor content

personally I abhor site with 50 animated gif -- BAD flash (you know the kind-- every text trasition possible - everything moving all around- 12 fps- )-- and i hate sites that pop up in fullscreen mode and don't gave a close button

excessive pop up windows

analogX has a great popUp smasher --

available at

http://www.analogX.com

the guy has got like 50 progs for free -- all usefull utilities.

Quote:

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Originally posted by RazoRmedia
Now my argument with a colleague is about opening in a new window. I believe that all external links should open in a new window and internal links should open in the same window. My colleague disagrees and thinks all links should open in the same window. Our friend Mr Neilsen agrees with him.

What do the rest of you think, and what do you hate with a passion in a website?

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Opening new windows for external links
I've made it a policy with my business that any link that goes to an external site will open in a new window. This is for several reasons. I learned it from so many years of using CNN.com. And this is our way of saying that we may not endorse what is found on that site.

I do see how this can become annoying, but if we all stick with this policy, it will soon become standard. Then Jakob will have no other choice but to complain, accept, and adapt.

Those lame pop-up windows found on most Flash sites
I'm talking about the ones that say "click to enter" and a new window pops up in a certain size with the actual site in it. This is just annoying because I cannot send the link of the popped up window. I can if I do a few IE tricks, but the average user cannot. Also, its a pain for those with slow computers.

Sites that have no content
This is very common among design company sites. There will be a page about services with an extremely short paragraph saying they provide the best whatever. ZZZZZZZ. I don't care if its the coolest looking site in the world. Websites are kind of like girls: They may be pretty, but if they have no content, you'll soon lose interest.

Using underlines on words that are not links
This is very annoying. You keep trying to click a word that will never take you anywhere. The same can be said for words that are blue, but aren't actually links.

Now my old site had a lot of these problems. That's why I spent six months with my development team to produce a site that is full of information, usuablity, and solid content.

Those are just a few, but this is certainly a topic that has no end.

-scott
http://scottmanning.com/

Bad Typography..

Like poorly used 'serif' fonts.. :rolleyes:
Horrible color pallete

not enough color
too much gray

content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content,

Quote:

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Originally posted by OddDog
content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content, content,

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Good point. :D http://board.flashkit.com/board/imag...001/10/156.gif

My personal irks are:

-Frames. I think they just cause more problems than they solve.
-Cluttered Design. I like simple, clean layouts. I want to look at the page and immediately begin to see what the navigation is and where I need to go.
-Extra Small Type. I may be getting older, but my eyes aren't that bad. If I have trouble reading it, I won't.

I know I've broken pretty much every rule of good design at some point or another, but I've learned from those mistakes and become a little better each time by learning what not to do again.

-monster.

cranking midi files!

pixel fonts used for content purposes

Using the default colours in MS Word (Red, Teal ect..) together
Popup ads

Stopping a user from viewing the site because they are not in IE5.5+ or NS?, the developer obviously never looked for other working browsers.

Overuse of carrige returns, !!!!!!!!!!'s and ,,,,,,,,,,'s

People who have no idea how much work can go into something, and immediatly trade it off as stupid and hopeless

My dislikes are: pop up windows!

Sites that ask if I would like to make them my Default Page. ...ever notice; every time you add a site to your favorites they 'never' asked you to?

Did I mention pop up windows? I rarely give them a second look. ...somtimes they cause a reaction in me like spam does!

Web sites that appear in my mailbox. ...you know, heavily html laden emails; they bug me. They slow down my use of the delete button when clearning the sludge that appears in my busy mailbox everyday.

In short any thing that delays me from getting to the information I wanted from the resource or my email box.

Boy I sound cranky, don't I? :P

funny thing i had to come up with some designs that look like an ameture did them. o boy did i use clashing colors, nav bar at the bottom, horizantal rules, an awful background that was one filter in ps. the designs are so hideous. lol.