Web Pages That Suck - learn good web design by looking at bad web design

Submitter comments: In the non-profit category consider this one! This is the most impossible university to navigate! It’s style code is CFS — Can’t Find Sxxt!

OMG…Nothing is consistent..it’s a WRECK and don’t miss the College of Math and Science!

Vincent Flanders’ comments: I always say it, so here I go again: It’s more difficult to designing a college/university web site than any other type of website. There is always an incredible amount of content that has to be organized into meaningful categories and relationships PLUS you have incredible internal political pressure about who gets their spot on the home page. The home page space problem is greater on today’s sucker because they’re using a fixed width — and it’s a small fixed width.

Once of the most important concepts in web design is “expectations.” Visitors expect to be able to find certain types of information and they expect to find this information in specific locations. For example, visitors expect to find the university’s logo at the top, left corner of the page — and there it is. They expect to find other types of information in multiple places — “Departments” or “Admissions” — and they will be upset when they don’t find the information.

Because the person suggesting today’s site said to check out the College of Math and Science, I went looking for a link that said, “Departments” or “Schools.” Logically, I looked at the navigation menu on the left. Nothing there (I hate the fact that the tooltip obscures some of the menu items). Frankly, I couldn’t believe it.

OK, let’s try the search box. I entered “College of Math and Science” and ended up with the following. Oops. Actually, if I scroll down and find the following text, “For more information, please visit  Programs of Study,” and click the link I’ll find the listing for departments.

I accidentally discovered “Departments” at the top of the page. Speaking of the top of the page, there’s a big, black, empty space that would be perfect for a search form. Hmm. When I finally got to the College of Math and Science, I was greeted by black text on a dark blue background.

The Department of Math and Statistics is a gem. We’ve got frames, an ugly background, and a link to the Home page which is a link to the current page. It’s not a link to what I call the “Home Home” page.

Kennesaw State University