Top 10 Web Site Annoyances

1. Arriving at a Web site only to get it in a pop up window with Flash. Takes control away from user. I want to decide how many windows I have open.
2. Forms that don’t make it easier for the user to fix when making an error especially those that erase the form when you return to it.
3. Navigation guessing games. Some sites use dots or other symbols to represent an item you can click. I’d like to know what they are before I move my mouse.
4. Headers that take up half of the “above the fold” screen. Headers are good - but not when they take up so much space that you can’t see the important content.
5. Tables used for formatting. Still done.
6. Accessibility overlooked.
7. Gray-colored text on white background. This is very hard to read even to those with perfect vision. Black is old and boring, but it’s best.
8. Small text especially with Flash text, which is not only small but also blurry. Never heard anyone complain that the text is too big.
9. Navigation with too many choices, especially when they pop up with more choices and you can’t pick the top-level item. Some people have trouble controlling the mouse and can’t quite get to the sub-items. Simple works best.
10. An information architecture that’s noticeable. That means it’s not well-structured.

Agree? Disagree? What Web site features annoy you?
[tags]web sites, design, Meryl K. Evans[/tags]