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Ugliest / Worst Over The Top Web Sites of 2009
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Worst Web Sites of 2009: April - June #11-20
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.
Obviously, the sites that follow aren't examples of great web design.
11. Happeh Theory
NSFW!
Seriously ugly. I hate to admit it, but I am a bit afraid to venture beyond the home page...OMG..this MUST be a joke.
Whether the author of this site was playing a joke on the world, or was serious, one thing is very clear; he must not really care about getting the message out, as he spent so little effort in simply making the site attractive. Even if you are a cast-iron lunatic, people will take you much more seriously if you make your point in an attractive fashion.
Submitter’s comments: Don’t ask how I found this site. At first glance, the designer has not looked at any other web sites.
Vincent Flanders’ comments: Just like the U.S. military, I have my own "Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy."
Obviously, this is 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."
The site is one you find in an “Over The Top” industry. The definition of 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.
To keep from harming myself or going blind, I only visited the home page. BTW. I have a whole page of over-the-top web sites.
12. Keep Earth Beautiful
Submitter’s comments: This was advertised as a nonprofit web site source for info on environmental conservation. It is so disappointing to find something with such good intention done up so childishly and nonprofessionally.
The twirling planet, scrolling text, different colored/sized fonts, and shaking bear butt?! It would take so little to make this a good web site. Please help us web site gods, wherever you are!!!
13. FedEx
Submitter’s comments: Here’s a great example of Mystery Meat Navigation (MMN) I just stumbled on while looking for a place to buy shipping boxes in Google search. FedEx has a great listing in a listing at the top of the results page, but they spoil it with this page. Not only is it a Mystery Meat extravaganza, it’s *animated* mystery meat. What will they think of next!?
Vincent Flanders’ comments: I don’t understand FedEx. They take what appears to be an effective and well-designed home page and screw it up faster than Mickey Rourke screwed up his career. Why do they use MMN? Is it because they’re trying to maximize screen real estate? Or is it because they know how to make a carousel out of Flash?
Other comments: I had to take a second look at this totally disorganized mess. Only one link per offering should be listed in the navigation on a page. This site has multiple identical links within the MMN and in the side column of links.
Navigation is the foundation of a web site and belongs at the top of the page and should be identical on every page. Narration in the body should simply state what is available — NOT try to hold a conversation with the reader.
The site offers three choices of font size, all faded gray on a white background. Here's a clue *****. A dark black font works every time. Underline all the hotlinks. Do not use GIFs, Flash, or animation on a business site. Don't make me scroll. It's so easy to build a functional web site., so why don't these companies consult with people in the know BEFORE they build such a crappy web site.?
14. Cinderella Photography
Vincent Flanders’ comments: I used Google to search the phrase [wedding photographer toronto] and this site was listed on the first page. Yes, being listed on the first page is wonderful, but it isn’t enough. Your site has to look at least as good as the competition — especially the sites listed above and below you.
This is the wedding photography site listed before (#7) Cinderella; this is Cinderella (#8); and this is the photography site (#9) listed after Cinderella. All Cinderella had to do was look at the site directly above and below them to see better looking web sites!
Seriously. If you looked at the three sites listed 7, 8, and 9, which one would you NOT want to do your photography? I’ve said it a 100 times before and I’ll say it 2,000 more times — “If your site doesn’t look like a pro, the people will go.
Other comments: Like so many other folks with bad web sites, this guy probably does some fine work. Unfortunately, his competence in photography is somewhat eclipsed by his incompetence in web site design. This site exudes cheapness in every way possible.
One thing I find egregious is the obvious keyword stuffing effort splattered all over the home page; however, the worst thing is that this site was not built for the man's prospective customers - it does not tell me anything useful. For example, whether anyone else does or not, I don't give a damn about the gear he uses; if he did good work with an old Kodak Brownie, I would be just as happy.
I could go on, but it isn't necessary; this site will die rapidly without competent help.
15. Dan Abnett : Writer of Wrongs
Vincent Flanders’ comments: One of the worst forms of navigation is Metaphoric Navigation, which is also known as MYSTifying navigation. Once you click on the door, you then are exposed to Mystery Meat Navigation (MMN). Oh, I didn’t notice there was MMN to the side of the main picture. We’ve got “hidden” MMN. Hmm.
I love the fact that TITLE tag for the home page is “index.” Search engines, as we all know, just hate that. Another charmer is that the background image repeats itself on large monitors. Here’s a screen capture from my monitor that shows the background repeating itself.
I’m not sure that I like the tagline “Writer of Wrongs.” Yes, I know it’s clever and nobody loves clever more than I do, but it makes it sound like he screws up and writes the wrong thing.
16. Collecta
I was reading an article about real-time search engines and one of the sites mentioned was Collecta. I went to the site, but it gave me a message that said I couldn’t use the site because I was using Internet Explorer 6. Wrong, wrong, wrong. I'm using IE7.
This example shows that browser sniffing techniques aren’t always up to snuff. Hopefully, Collecta isn’t using some expensive browser-sniffing program, but is relying on a college CS major who’s interning for the summer. Still, this kind of mistake is soooooooo amateur.
17. Narrabeen Beach Surf Life Saving Club
Vincent Flanders’ comments: Someone once wrote in the comments, “1997 called and they want their web site back.” I think that’s applicable to this site. The frames look like they’re from 1997 and some of the links take you to strange-looking sites like Surf Life Saving Northern Beaches. Talk about small text!
18. Manidoo
I don’t know if it’s horrifying or just confusing. I guess it’s some kind of community (isn’t everything these days?). It’s called “Manidoo,” but I look at it and think “Man I don’t.”
19. Wyatt Technology Corporation
Are Wyatt
instruments
the product
of Intelligent Design…
…or evolution?
That's from the introduction to the video. Personally, I think they’re the product of someone with too much money, not enough taste, and way too much time on their hands. Pompous drivel.
20. Monkey Bars Play & Learn Centre
Submitter’s comments: I would like to humbly submit this site that I just had the misfortune to actively visit.
Sucky things that I noticed right off the bat:
1 - The site is merely a frame - the actual content comes from an entirely different domain - have they not heard of SEO optimization, accessibility, etc.? When you finally get to the original source code it’s a horrible jumble of inline styles and deprecated HTMLl.
2 - It’s Flash - WHY? as a result each page takes several seconds to load - and has a nauseating loading effect in the bargain.
3 - The menu is so slick the designers haven’t even noticed that two of the menu items have cut-off text.
4 - The conveniently underlined email address in the top banner isn’t actually clickable.
5 - Under “Centre Info” there is some detail about how to get there - how about a map?
6 - Going to http://monkeybars.com.au just fails to load anything at all - redirects aren’t that hard, especially when you might be losing half your potential business.
Vincent Flanders’ comments: I’d like to comment using the references above.
1. The site is using the free Flash web site builder called Wix. The code is “spooky,” but I just recently looked at Google’s home page and their code is even spookier. I’m going to be discussing this topic next month.
2. I agree. Why?
3. I find it difficult to believe anyone can make this mistake. In addition, the page marker is even more horrible.
4. This might actually be OK — assuming they’re using this technique to hide their email address from spammers.
5. I agree. Perhaps they could have a link to a map.
6. Sigh. So many big organizations make this mistake. Harvard University made it until I pointed it out.
