subject: How to design a BAD website [print this page] How to design a BAD website How to design a BAD website
OK, by bad I mean BAD in the traditional sense of the world not the "that website is so bad" vernacular where bad = good. We so often strive to identify all that is good in website design but perhaps a different approach is to identify key elements of a really bad design with a view to avoiding them! Following are 5 of my most irritating website design bugbears.
JPG (Just Plain Ugly): Why oh why did they choose that apricot colour scheme like some bad 80's paint job? And the yellow coloured text; what were they thinking? Ugly can encompass a whole lot in the design world and bland or caustic colour combinations can be a great first step. Picture this caustic combination, gold text on cobalt blue background. Add to this, daggy pictures and dated font and you might just make one of those top 10 lists.
Text Overload: Repeat after me, LESS IS MORE. As passionate as you are about your turbine engines please don't bombard me with the application and history of rotary engines converting fluid movement into mechanical energy throughout the ages. I know this is really fascinating to you but consider the needs of the people visiting your website. As much as it pains you, be concise and relevant.
PLEASE DON'T SHOUT AT ME: Oh why are you yelling? My head hurts just reading you. Surely everything you're saying doesn't deserve the same emphasis? Capitals should be reserved for proper punctuation and in exceptions, to add weight to certain words. And no random capitals either please. Don't abuse them or your prospective clients with overuse.
Typos: Yes that should read 'typos' but it got your attention. And what were your first thoughts? This person doesn't know what they're talking about, they're uneducated, don't take the time to proof read or all of the above? Plenty of typos, spelling or grammatical errors' will enshore rapid navigation......away from your website.
Consistency: We're such creatures of habit and we like to have a reasonable expectation of what's coming next. We all know that the success of McDonalds or any other good franchise is due in part to it's consistency; if I want an apple pie I want to know I will get the same apple pie at any of their outlets. The same can be said for web design. Don't go changing style or colour schemes mid way through or it will only end up looking like a cheap extension on a house.
