I've been checking a lot of websites lately, not for Christmas shopping but for a work project. What I've discovered is that there are a lot of bad sites out there, even among the big corporations and media outlets that should know better.
I'm sure that some of my nits to pick are personal preferences, but others are practices that simply fly in the face of common sense. Here are the things that send me searching for a DISLIKE button.
You make me hunt. I am there for information, but you hide what I need. I can't find a hotel's rates until I pretend I'm doing an actual booking, hours of operation are hidden if they're there at all, and I have to get into Google maps just to find an address. And as I've asked before, is it too much trouble to include the basics (address, phone, email) on the home page?
Yada, yada, yada. Oh, the verbiage! Flowery descriptions and hackneyed phrases do nothing but take up space and time. Take me away from "crystal-clear waters" and "spectacular views," please!
The best, the brightest, the most beautiful. Superlatives just make me suspicious. The best? Sez who? Same goes for "premier," "world-class" and "state of the art."
Living in the past. So many sites are woefully out of date, neglected since they were created. A place built in 2007 is no longer "brand-new," folks, and it's dishonest to say that Chef David prepares the food when we all know he moved on years ago. Update!
Junk. Spinning graphics, jiggling fonts and windows that flip might be fun for a web designer to create, but in the real world they're only distractions. Simple designs serve users better.
Sloppiness. Yes, typos happen, but a website littered with misspellings and bad punctuation makes me suspect even its most basic information. Proofread, people!
I think the basic problem is that many who put up websites think of them as marketing, whereas those of us who use them are seeking information. There's a difference. So I say to the site designers and owners: Tell us, don't sell us!
I'm sure that some of my nits to pick are personal preferences, but others are practices that simply fly in the face of common sense. Here are the things that send me searching for a DISLIKE button.
You make me hunt. I am there for information, but you hide what I need. I can't find a hotel's rates until I pretend I'm doing an actual booking, hours of operation are hidden if they're there at all, and I have to get into Google maps just to find an address. And as I've asked before, is it too much trouble to include the basics (address, phone, email) on the home page?
Yada, yada, yada. Oh, the verbiage! Flowery descriptions and hackneyed phrases do nothing but take up space and time. Take me away from "crystal-clear waters" and "spectacular views," please!
The best, the brightest, the most beautiful. Superlatives just make me suspicious. The best? Sez who? Same goes for "premier," "world-class" and "state of the art."
Living in the past. So many sites are woefully out of date, neglected since they were created. A place built in 2007 is no longer "brand-new," folks, and it's dishonest to say that Chef David prepares the food when we all know he moved on years ago. Update!
Junk. Spinning graphics, jiggling fonts and windows that flip might be fun for a web designer to create, but in the real world they're only distractions. Simple designs serve users better.
Sloppiness. Yes, typos happen, but a website littered with misspellings and bad punctuation makes me suspect even its most basic information. Proofread, people!
I think the basic problem is that many who put up websites think of them as marketing, whereas those of us who use them are seeking information. There's a difference. So I say to the site designers and owners: Tell us, don't sell us!