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

Submitter’s comments: Right away from the pointless start page with music that takes ages to load, I knew I was being transported back in time…to maybe before 2004, when the trend was to unrelentingly do everything in Flash, for no good reason. (Maybe designers gave up trying to make sites work in a variety of different broken browsers and Flash was seen as a quick way out of browser hell… only to inflict us with another kind of hell.)

Enter the site and the first thing I see is a lot of badly formatted, nonsense text to read, which tells me nothing.

I Almost failed to spot the very dark navigation on the left that only appears when the mouse is over each one.

The annoying noisy headings that take ages to appear… weird navigation…
some pages have that horrible “make you read everything through a tiny letterbox with awkward scroll thingy” that was so popular back in the day.

This site needs to be put out of its misery.. Sadly I’m not a web designer, otherwise I’d quote them to redo it.

Vincent Flanders’ comments: Nicely reviewed.

Flash for websites is as dead as Steve Jobs. To make a Flash website even “deader” than it is requires a Splash Page. This site has one. After that, I’m taken to a page I can’t read, with symbols I didn’t even notice without the help of the submitter’s comments and such a confusing mish-mash of I-don’t-know-what that I don’t have the slightest idea what the site is about except that it’s not about weddings. I don’t care about the site so I leave. After taking a cursory examination, I suggest you do the same.

The Wedding Collective

Submitter’s comments: Ever heard of site navigation?

Vincent Flanders’ comments: Another Over-the-top Website dedicated to whatever is running around someone’s head. Unfortunately, the stuff running around the site’s designer isn’t good web design. Keeping the site current isn’t running around someone’s head either. I used the wonderful tool redbot to discover that the last time the home page was modified was February 21, 2010.

The navigation is consistent with other sites of this ilk—it’s all over the place.

If you’re into over-the-top belief systems, at least make your website look good. I can’t imagine anyone looking at the Corruption on the Border website and saying, “Oh, I trust what this guy is saying.” On the other hand, an over-the-top site like BOND looks great—for someone outside the mainstream. You’re initial reaction is very positive. You initially feel like you can trust the content. That’s what it’s all about.

Corruption on the Border

Submitter’s comments: I would like to nominate the Jamet website as an example of poor navigation.

The company is a well established tent manufacturer, so I visited the site to get some details of a particular model, but 10 minutes later, I was still wrestling with graphics that rotated as they wandered about the screen, when all I wanted was the size and weight. Total fail!!  I shopped elsewhere.

By the way, the entry screen invites the user to navigate using the left/right arrows and the spacebar.

Vincent Flanders’ comments: Google Chrome was nice enough to automatically translate this page’s text for me. I can’t remember when I’ve seen sillier navigation. Oh. This site was built using HTML 5, which proves you can create sucky websites using the latest technology and shows why this site will never run out of examples.

Jamet

Submitter’s comments: This website sucks.

Vincent Flanders’ comments: Just another example of an Over-the-top Website. I’m really upset at myself because I had found some Over-the-top sites that looked like normal websites, but I didn’t write the URLs down. If you know of any, email me. There are a lot of left- and right-wing political websites that qualify, but they’re not crazy enough.

Futuro-House

Submitter’s comments: Turn your speakers down.

A Friend of mine found this website. “A lifelong Flatbush resident, Mindy is the first young woman in the history of New York to run for New York State Senate. The Orthodox Jewish woman, aged 22, is the candidate for both the Republican and Conservative party lines. Mindy intends to utilize her religious values and moral compass as her guide. ‘I can tell you one thing, I have no experience in corruption,’ said Meyer. ‘This is how politics has to change. There is always corruption, but I have the intention to follow my values and ensure that none of what happens in my district is corrupt.'”

I am not sure this is real…. but it surely reeks. See Diva of the District.

Vincent Flanders’ comments: It’s my favorite time of year—election season. It’s the time when really bad websites pop up only to fade away after the election. Apparently, Ms. Meyer’s website has drawn other media attention: Mindy Meyer’s ‘State Senate Campaign’ Website Explodes On Twitter, Is Truly Awful.

While examining the source code for the site, I noticed that the song that keeps playing is called LMFAO.mp3. Hmm. I know I LMFWAO (Laughed My Fat White Ass Off) when I viewed the site. I’m sure you’ll laugh your ass off when you see it.

I have no idea if this person is qualified to be a State Senator; however, if she’s using the sound file without paying royalties (or it’s not her original song), then she’s violating copyright laws and this would disqualify her because she claimed to have “no experience in corruption.” Well, maybe not corruption, but it is criminal activity. She should read my article Why You Can’t Use Music On Your Website. It always amazes me that people think they have the legal right to put music files on their websites without paying for the privilege.

The pink is just a little too-too.

Mindy Meyer for NYS Senate