Web design mistakes :: 2 of 2

< previous | next >

Briefly

And here is the previous list updated to reflect current practice circa 2007.

Top ten web design mistakes - circa 2007

1. Bad search - search is the user's lifeline when navigation fails (indeed, the first recourse of many, increasingly Google-literate web users). Dumb (i.e. too literal) search engines reduce usability in that they're unable to handle typos, plurals, hyphens, and other variants of the query terms. A related problem is when search engines prioritize results purely on the basis of how many query terms they contain, rather than on each document's importance. Much better if your search engine calls out "best bets" at the top of the list.
2. PDF files for online reading - users hate coming across a PDF file while browsing because it breaks their flow. Layouts are often optimized for a sheet of paper, which rarely matches the size of the user's browser window. PDF is great for printing and for distributing manuals and other big documents that need to be printed. Reserve it for this purpose and convert any information that needs to be browsed or read on the screen into real web pages.
3. Not changing the colour of visited links - a good grasp of past navigation helps you understand your current location, since it's the culmination of your journey. Knowing your past and present locations in turn makes it easier to decide where to go next. Links are a key factor in this navigation process. Users can exclude links that proved fruitless in their earlier visits. But these benefits only accrue when users can tell the difference between visited and unvisited links because the site shows them in different colours. When visited links don't change colour, users exhibit more navigational disorientation in usability testing and unintentionally revisit the same pages repeatedly.
4. Non-scannable text - a wall of text is deadly for an interactive experience. Write for online, not print. To draw users into the text and support scannability, use well-documented tricks which include:
   • Subheads
   • Bulleted lists
   • Highlighted keywords
   • Short paragraphs
   • The inverted pyramid
   • A simple writing style, and
   • De-fluffed language devoid of "marketese"
5. Fixed font size - respect the user's preferences and let them resize text as needed. Also, specify font sizes in relative terms, not as an absolute number of pixels
6. Page titles with low search engine visibility - search is the most important way users discover websites. Search is also one of the most important ways users find their way around individual websites. The humble page title is your main tool to attract new visitors from search listings and to help your existing users to locate the specific pages that they need.
7. Anything that looks like an advertisement - selective attention is very powerful, and Web users have learned to stop paying attention to any ads that get in the way of their goal-driven navigation (the main exception being text-only search-engine ads). Unfortunately, users also ignore legitimate design elements that look like prevalent forms of advertising. After all, when you ignore something, you don't study it in detail to find out what it is. Therefore, it is best to avoid any designs that look like advertisements.
8. Violating design conventions - consistency is one of the most powerful usability principles: when things always behave the same, users don't have to worry about what will happen. Instead, they know what will happen based on earlier experience. The more users' expectations prove right, the more they will feel in control of the system and the more they will like it. And the more the system breaks users' expectations, the more they will feel insecure.
9. Opening new browser windows - opening up new browser windows is like a vacuum cleaner sales person who starts a visit by emptying an ashtray on the customer's carpet. Don't pollute my screen with any more windows, thanks.
10. Not answering users' questions - users are highly goal-driven on the Web. They visit sites because there's something they want to accomplish. The ultimate failure of a website is to fail to provide the information users are looking for. The worst example of not answering users' questions is to avoid listing the price of products and services.

< previous | next >