Biggest Mistakes in Web Design 1995-2015
Worst Web Sites
Ugliest / Worst Business Web Sites of 2009, But You Can Learn Something From Them
Ugliest / Worst Business Web Sites of 2009
Ugliest / Worst Business Web Sites to Navigate in 2009
Ugliest / Worst Web Sites of 2009: Honorary Winners
Ugliest / Worst Over The Top Web Sites of 2009
Ugliest / Worst Non-Profit Web Sites of 2009
Ugliest / Worst Web Pages of the Decade
Gorgeous Websites From The
Late 90's To Inspire You — If You
Have No Taste
Web Redesign Checklists
Biggest Mistakes in Web Design 1995-2015
Daily Sucker - Current Examples of Bad Design
Subscribe to RSS feed
More Bad Web Design Techniques
Stupid Versions of WPTS Home Page
Contenders for Worst Web Site of 2009: January - March #1-13
Web design is an art. Great web design occurs when design and content are seamless and you don't notice its greatness. With great web design, it's easy to find the information you need. The content makes you want to return again and again and, most importantly, great design gives credibility to the company/organization.
2009 Is Shaping Up As A Good Year For Bad Web Design
During the first three months of the year, there were 68 Daily Suckers. I've whittled them down to 27. If the rest of the year is as bad, we'll have over 100 serious contenders. Looks like a lot of web designers and web design firms will be busy redesigning these sites in the interim.
1. Bella De Soto's Web Site
The above is a really reduced screen shot:
Submitter's comments: I have only been here a couple of times, but this has to be one of the worst ever. Enjoy.
The page scrolls HORIZONTALLY and VERTICALLY. Holy, mother of God. This is a nightmare.
Here's a partial screen capture
Here's a partial screen capture at a larger size
I'm not providing a direct link because I don't want to blow out their bandwidth. If you want to type it in, it's at http://www.belladesoto.us/
Vincent Flanders' comments: I think we have the winner for the Worst Web Site of 2009. Heck. I think this site may be the worst web site of all time. Congratulations to the submitter of this site. You've just found the bottom of web design.
Bad web design is like pornography — just when you think you've seen it all and you think nothing could disgust you, along comes something worse. This site is the 2 Girls 1 Cup of bad web design. No, as far as I can tell there's no pornography, just a web site that makes the 2008 Worst Web Site — Havenworks — look like CSS Zen Garden.
The home page is HUGE. In fact, I don't know how large it is because it's still downloading and I'd like to go to bed. I'm guesstimating it's around 503MB. That's MB as in Megabytes. It's so big I can't get the great screen capture program, SnagIt, to capture a complete screen shot.
The page scrolls HORIZONTALLY and VERTICALLY. Holy, mother of God. This is a nightmare.
Here's a partial screen capture
Here's a partial screen capture at a larger size
2. Genicap
Submitter's comments: I would like to nominate genicap.com. This company is supposed to offer a pretty nice plugin for Adobe Illustrator; however, I have searched their site for 30 minutes and cannot find out how I can buy a copy. There is no search feature. The navigation SUCKS. It is chock full of technobabble. All in all, one of the worse sites I have seen for a big company.
Vincent Flanders' comments: My picture on the right sums up my feelings about the Genicap web site. If you're not familiar with Gary's “issues,” check out his appearance on Comedy Central's Roast of Larry the Cable Guy where he roasts himself (this is so NSFW).
We have a Splash page with Mystery Meat Navigation, which is a bad way to start off your site. The subnavigation at the top is hard to read because the text is small and the contrast isn't sufficient. The regular text is small and hard to read on a high-resolution monitor. There are also Javascript errors on certain subpages.
The rest of the site doesn't make sense. Where is the damn plugin? If it's on another site, where is the friggin link on this site? I thought this site might be an attempt to suck up to investors, but I can't even be sure of that.
This site commits at least NINE of the Biggest Mistakes in Web Design 1995-2015:
When Gary Busey makes more sense than your web site, we have a contender for the Worst Web Site of 2009.
3. Control Driving Skills
Submitter's comments: What else but a car wreck on the information highway? :)
Tickers galore!
Stretched logo image!
Flapping Canadian Flag!
American Flag (static)!
Horizontal scroll for no apparent reason!
Firefox, in either despair or bafflement, thinks it requires an unknown plug in!
Much more could be listed!
Vincent Flanders' comments: Wow! It's the first Daily Sucker for 2009 (January 2) and we've got a sure-fire contender for Worst Web Site of 2009. The driving school industry is YAITS — Yet Another Industry That Sucks. The Worst of 2008 was so well-represented by the industry that I almost made them a separate category. This company is providing a really important service, but their site looks really stupid. It's a classic example of Mistake #5 from Biggest Mistakes in Web Design 1995-2015 — “Have you ever seen another web site? Really? Doesn't look like it. Nuke it and hire someone to start over.
4. Welcome to Evangel Cathedral
Here's another church site that has committed the sin of Flashturbation. We have a needless FlashSplash page — whoops — “needless FlashSplash” is redundant. If you click “Skip Intro,” you get an advertisement. An advertisement on a church web site! You have to click to enter the site to get to the “real” home page, which is a whirling collection of Flashturbation that would make a Sufi dizzy.
If you turned up the sound to hear the advertisement, you're in real trouble. The volume of the screaming guitar on the home page is louder than the ad. I'm confused by the “Camelot” link. It's basically an ad for a restaurant. Huh?
Back in 1969 I met and interviewed Kenny Rogers when he was with The First Edition. He was one of the nicest people you would ever hope to meet. When he became hugely successful with his solo career I was happy because nice guys can finish first, but the pictures on this site confuse me. I didn't know he became a preacher.
5. John Titor Time Traveler
There's a type of industry I call “Over The Top” and as I've described it:
…an “Over The Top” industry is just like the definition of pornography — you know it when you see it. Over The Top sites generally deal with philosophy, religion, politics, etc., but they're generally not mainstream.
If you look at my examples of Over The Top sites, you'll notice that today's sucker is much better looking than the sites on that page. That's right. It's one of the better looking Over The Top sites.
There's a lot of consistency — blue headlines are centered, red links are flush left, text is generally white. OK, OK, I'm stretching a bit here. I looked at the source code and there's no CSS, just FONT tags. It would be difficult, but not impossible to fix this site. It isn't as easy as the site I “fixed” the other day by changing a few tags. There also seems to be a gaping hole at the top. Wonder what is supposed to be there.
6. Leo Burnett Canada
Submitter's comments: I teach Creative Advertising Strategy and Direct Response Advertising at a university. In class, we look at webpagesthatsuck.com to learn what not to do, just as you suggest and it is quite helpful. However, my students never fail to point to web sites that are highly regarded, such as Leo Burnett, that utilize Mystery Meat Navigation and flying navigation.
In fact, this Web site REALLY DRIVES ME NUTS! When you click on “skip intro,” for example, it seems that that is not an option. What are those flying apples all about anyway? Please take a look at this site. I would really like your opinion, as my students are telling me that Burnett's site is avant garde when I think it is ill-conceived.
Other comments #1: To me, this site is fatuous and self-consumed; a real tribute to someone's ego, and not a vehicle for promoting one's services. I will venture a guess and suggest that this is some sort of advertising agency, just because many of the web sites for big advertising agencies are similarly fatuous and self-consumed.
It may be hip and edgy, but it fails miserably the test of a visitor figuring out what it is about in the first few seconds. It also gives me motion sickness. As well, I do not care for having my browser re-sized involuntarily.
Other comments #2: "Big Ideas come from Big Black pencils" Sometimes Mr. Pencil gets angry. When Mr Pencil gets angry bad things happen. I cannot control Mr. Pencil when he is angry. I have tried. But he makes me do things I am not proud of doing. I am worry about Mr Pencil. He seems to be becoming unhappy again.
7. MIAUK
Submitter's comments: Not sure if this is supposed to be ironic or what but it gave me a headache…
Vincent Flanders' comments: It gave me a headache when I first used it on July 9, 2007. Here's what I said then:
WARNING: Might cause seizures. The site is for a band/musician — not sure because I can't stand the flickering, which is why the site appears here (among a dozen other reasons)
As far as I can tell, MIAUK, is still the same site as it was in 2007. How's that for progress? No steps forward and two steps back.
Other comments: I can't even begin to describe the visceral horror and nausea I felt opening that beauty. Once I was able to successfully pick myself off the floor after the epileptic seizure I had suffered I found much to my horror, that the rest of the world was still blinking and gyrating like that page was for almost a full minute before normality returned.
I think someone needs to contact their up-feed and close the site down before lawsuits ensue. Better still, maybe out of the goodness of my heart, I'll contact the American Epilepsy Society and get them on the case.
8. Chrysler Aspen Hybrid
Vincent Flanders' comments: This reminds me of that Microsoft Beta search engine Ms. Dewey (which no longer exists). Same concept except Microsoft used an African-American woman.
There are lots of valid uses for Flash on a car site — helping you build a car that you want to buy, looking at a car from different angles, etc.
Other comments #1: She doesn't just insult you once, but so far three, no wait four - I'm waiting for five...oh yeah there it is. Wow - what is that?? New age customer service!!! They don't want us to look at the car too long? Oh now there is a sixth time. She is really looking peeved now! Then it goes to loop.... How original...
Other comments #2: Maybe we should send them even more bailout money so they make an even crappier web site.
They fixed the site, but here's a larger screenshot.
Chrysler Aspen Hybrid — the current site.
9. MSY Technology
Submitter's comments: Vincent: Here's another site for you, if it hasn't been submitted before.
Here is a web page that will take you back to the dark ages of the Internet in the mid-90's, when changing font size and colour were considered the be-all and end-all of web design — at least by some developers' standards. This site, however, is maintained now and has no business trying to sell me anything! Have a look. Then go and clean your retinas with alcohol to take away the sting…
The most important thing that turns me away from even thinking about buying from these guys is that they deal in computers. My personal opinion is that any computer store web site should have a well thought out web page that is pleasing to look at — in the same way that I expect my mechanic to drive a car that runs smoothly and is not held together by rust. Anything less smacks of an unprofessional attitude toward me, the customer. I would not buy from this company purely based on this web site.
Vincent Flanders' comments: As the submitter notes, it's EXTREMELY important for your site to have a professional (or at least a semiprofessional) look. “If you don't look like a pro, the people will go” is a mantra for all web designers.
I suspect that, like many companies with sucky sites, they actually offer quality products. But who is going to take the time to find out once they see this site?
Other comments: Yep, their site sucks and their shops are scruffy warehouses in industrial estates (well, the Sydney one is anyway). So why are there always customers queuing out the door at their shops? Because, like their web site, they are brain-meltingly *cheap* and, to us, their bargain-hunting, geek customers, that's all that matters.
10. Dell Adamo Laptop
Submitter's comments: I get so lost trying to find the damn specs for the laptop they're selling.
Vincent Flanders' comments: I get so pissed looking at those snotty, bitchy models. The guy is the worst. It will be a very cold day before I buy another Dell laptop.
Other comments: Wow! That site is almost content free! The pictures were as annoying as listening to ads for a place while you are shopping at the place. If someone has gone to your site, they are already interested in your product; you don't have to sell them on it.
Of course, they fixed it. Here's a bigger screenshot of the stupidity.
Dell Adamo Laptop(this is the current site)
11. Jacksons of Piccadilly
Submitter's comments: After trying to navigate this page, I've given up and decided to e-mail you instead.
Not only do we have very pretty Mystery Meat Navigation, but my monitor is obviously too small because I can only access links that are in the middle third of the screen. I can't find a ‘non-flash' version (if one exists) because usually that's a link in the bottom right-hand corner that I can't see.
Vincent Flanders' comments: It's very beautiful MMN, but crap on a China plate is… still crap. I don't have any problems with the location of the navigation; I have problems with the Mystery Meat. My biggest problems with the site are the small text and the lack of contrast. Oh, if you go to a subpage, it isn't labeled. For example, I went to the Fine Art Competition page and tried to read it (dark gold text on a black background with a very small font isn't helpful). After I read some of the material, I forgot which page I was looking at. There is no marker explaining where you're located.
Pretty, but useless — bordering on pretty useless. With a flash of brilliance, they realized it sucked and they're fixing it.
Here's a video of the original that shows why it qualified.
Current site of Jacksons of Piccadilly that's being redesigned
12. MONO*Crafts
Submitter's comments: I am a web design instructor and I use the examples on your site to teach my students what not to do in web design. I have a site that I think is bad. The actual graphics are pretty cool but the functionality I think is terrible.
First of all this Flash Site opens a splash page that asks if you are ready to begin. If I wasn't ready to begin I wouldn't have come to the site in the first place, doh. When you click to begin, it takes you to another Flash page with this bar, with words that you can't read scrolling across the page. When you move your cursor around, say the top of the page that bar grows and speeds up. When you try to put your cursor over it goes back and forth. By the time, I tried to do that I already had a headache.
Below the window where the bar is, there is Mystery Meat Navigation that when you click a link that is available takes you to a page that is just as baffling.
Vincent Flanders' comments: I call this type of design “WTF?” — What The Heck? I don't have a clue what this site's about. It could be an artist's site, but I can't tell. Somehow I clicked something and a message went by saying this was a “Macromedia Site of the Day.” Oh. I get it. It's FlashTrash.
13. Billy Connolly
Submitter's comments: See how long it takes you to find the dates of Billy Connolly's next tour.
Vincent Flanders' comments: It took a really long time. First, we have a splash page that's somewhat confusing. I thought the text at the bottom of the page might help me, but it was small light purple text on a dark purple background. Contrast issues. When I peered closely, it wasn't any help so I clicked the “CLICK TO ENTER” link.
It took me to what appeared to be Mystery Meat Navigation. I moused over different items and suddenly a scrolling ENTER message appeared. I clicked the door. I was ushered into a lobby where there were different elements to click. There was a message on the wall telling me to “click on dragonfly.” Of course, the sucker was moving rapidly and I wasted time tracking him down. When I finally clicked, it took me back outside! WTF?
I clicked the “Billy Connolly” sign and entered a room with MYSTifying navigation. MYSTifying navigation occurs when you have items, like Billy's picture, that lead to a photo gallery, which contains pictures. The term comes from the early '90s computer game which inspired the trend. A TV set is a link to…logically… Billy's film and TV work.
Finally, I took a chance on “News” and was launched to another MYSTifying landscape where a balloon represented tours.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, he's a performer, but at least put up an HTML version of the site for those of us who just want to buy tickets. You're making it too hard because it takes too long to find the information we need. It's also too cute by half.
Page 1 of 2 There's more sucking - Next »
