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

Submitter’s comments: While on vacation two weeks ago headed down to Pigeon Forge / Gatlinburg, TN, we spent the night in Lexington, KY.  We were driving around near the UK campus and saw a place called Hugh Jass Burgers and, I have to confess, I couldn’t help but bust out laughing at the name.

During an idle moment at work, and just out of curiosity, I looked ’em up online…and saw that their website sucks in more ways than one.  For starters, why open the rest of the site in a new window?  Makes no sense to me…

Vincent Flanders’ comments: What makes even less sense is the site is Flash-based and there’s no mobile version. A restaurant without a mobile website? What the heck? Here’s what you see on an iPhone when you go to their site:

Another design mistake is how tacky the site looks on a large, portrait monitor. I almost forgot to mention the website has a splash page and there is music that automatically plays when you enter the real site. (Actually, I kind of like the music, but “kind of” isn’t good enough. As someone who is well-known in the heterosexual community, I wouldn’t want to go out with someone who was kind of like a woman <grin>.)

Hugh Jass Burgers

Vincent Flanders’ comments: School is back in session and lots of colleges, universities, and high schools are teaching web design. Lots of sites are teaching techniques to help you make your site current. Unfortunately, not everyone is teaching good web design techniques.

Today’s example fails Navigation Rule #1: If you have to explain your navigation, your navigation sucks. It also violates Navigation Rule #2 (Don’t force your visitors to scroll horizontally) and Navigation Rule #3 (Make sure your navigation works on the web and on mobile).

Yes, I know this horizontal parallax effect is clever. If the limitations of this technique were explained and a warning that “It’s not for everyone” were issued, I wouldn’t have a problem.

Jinvertscroll

Vincent Flanders’ comments: The United States is coming up on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. I figured there would be at least one website on this topic that would be over-the-top. I chose this site because it’s not horribly egregious.

Obviously, the page is too long. The problems are mostly text based. You have a mixture of text sizes and most of the text is difficult to read. Each page has its own color, which isn’t helpful. The site hasn’t been updated in a few years. I guess there are no more conspiracy theories . On the other hand, American TV something-or-other Glenn Beck has an amusing page about US currency and 9/11.

Interestingly, I ran Google’s online Page Speed Insights (because it gives scores – unlike the Chrome extension) – about how well . The mobile version only scored 47 and the desktop version only scored 53. Structurally, the website is unsound and wouldn’t take much to make it come crashing down.

Killtown

Submitter’s comments: This was sent to a mailing list I subscribe to (it’s in Portuguese).

Click “Clique aqui para entrar” for the homepage.

Vincent Flanders’ comments: This site proves you don’t have to speak English to create a sucky website. I love “Clique aqui” — no matter what your language, you should never title your links “Click here.” Why? It isn’t informative even if you put “to enter” right after Click Here. The problem can easily be solved by not using the splash page in the first place. What gives with the shaking Facebook graphics. I felt assaulted and I wonder how epileptic people react. It makes for a wonderful slogan: “Comissao Coordenadora: Our website will give you seizures.”

There are even more animated images once you get inside. Oh, and this site was created using the recently deceased Flash. The most horrible sin of all? No mobile version.

Comissao Coordenadora das Festas do Município da Moita

Submitter’s comments: I have what I think is a contender. The site is often unreadable, has links that go nowhere, and other things that I find disturbing, such as an order history that has alternating colors in the rows, and the text matches one of the background colors.

The thing that disturbs me the most, however, is that I love the particular game that they sell (Cosmic Wimpout) and which I have played for over twenty years. I hope that a mention on your site might spur them to improve, but I’m not holding my breath.

Vincent Flanders’ comments: You think correctly. It contended and “won.” It’s not the worst site on the web. We’ve got centered and left-justified text. one ‘Click Here,’ links with different colors, a ‘Welcome To’ message, and excessive page length on the home page.

There are contrast issues on the “Buy Now” page.

Cosmic Wimpout