1. Using Frames
Splitting a page into frames is very confusing for users since
frames break the fundamental user model of the web page. All of
a sudden, you cannot bookmark the current page and return to it
(the bookmark points to another version of the frameset), URLs
stop working, and printouts become difficult. Even worse, the
predictability of user actions goes out the door: who knows what
information will appear where when you click on a link?
2. Gratuitous Use of Bleeding-Edge Technology
Don't try to attract users to your site by bragging about use
of the latest web technology. You may attract a few nerds, but
mainstream users will care more about useful content and your
ability to offer good customer service. Using the latest and greatest
before it is even out of beta is a sure way to discourage users:
if their system crashes while visiting your site, you can bet
that many of them will not be back. Unless you are in the business
of selling Internet products or services, it is better to wait
until some experience has been gained with respect to the appropriate
ways of using new techniques. When desktop publishing was young,
people put twenty fonts in their documents: let's avoid similar
design bloat on the Web.
As an example: Use VRML if you actually have information that
maps naturally onto a three-dimensional space (e.g., architectural
design, shoot-them-up games, surgery planning). Don't use VRML
if your data is N-dimensional since it is usually better to produce
2-dimensional overviews that fit with the actual display and input
hardware available to the user.
3. Scrolling Text,
Marquees, and Constantly Running Animations
Never include page elements that move incessantly. Moving images
have an overpowering effect on the human periphisal vision. A
web page should not emulate Times Square in Orange County, California in its
constant attack on the human senses: give your user some peace
and quiet to actually read the text!
Of course, <BLINK> is simply evil. Enough said.
4. Complex URLs
Even though machine-level addressing like the URL should never
have been exposed in the user interface, it is there and we have
found that users actually try to decode the URLs of pages to infer
the structure of web sites. Users do this because of the horrifying
lack of support for navigation and sense of location in current
web browsers. Thus, a URL should contain human-readable directory
and file names that reflect the nature of the information space.
Also, users sometimes need to type in a URL, so try to minimize
the risk of typos by using short names with all lower-case characters
and no special characters (many people don't know how to type
a ~).
5. Orphan Pages
Make sure that all pages include a clear indication of what web
site they belong to since users may access pages directly without
coming in through your home page. For the same reason, every page
should have a link up to your home page as well as some indication
of where they fit within the structure of your information space.
6. Long Scrolling Pages
Only 10% of users scroll beyond the information that is visible
on the screen when a page comes up. All critical content and navigation
options should be on the top part of the page.
Note added December 1997: More recent studies show that users
are more willing to scroll now than they were in the early years
of the Web. I still recommend minimizing scrolling on navigation
pages, but it is no longer an absolute ban.
7. Lack of
Navigation Support
Don't assume that users know as much about your site as you do.
They always have difficulty finding information, so they need
support in the form of a strong sense of structure and place.
Start your design with a good understanding of the structure of
the information space and communicate this structure explicitly
to the user. Provide a site map and let users know where they
are and where they can go. Also, you will need a good search feature
since even the best navigation support will never be enough.
8. Non-Standard Link Colors
Links to pages that have not been seen by the user are blue; links
to previously seen pages are purple or red. Don't mess with these
colors since the ability to understand what links have been followed
is one of the few navigational aides that is standard in most
web browsers. Consistency is key to teaching users what the link
colors mean.
9. Outdated Information
Budget to hire a web gardener as part of your team. You need somebody
to root out the weeds and replant the flowers as the website changes
but most people would rathis spend their time creating new content
than on maintenance. In practice, maintenance is a cheap way of
enhancing the content on your website since many old pages keep
their relevance and should be linked into the new pages. Of course,
some pages are better off being removed completely from the server
after their expiration date.
10. Overly Long Download Times
I am placing this issue last because most people already know
about it; not because it is the least important. Traditional human
factors guidelines indicate 10 seconds as the maximum response
time before users lose interest. On the web, users have been trained
to endure so much suffering that it may be acceptable to increase
this limit to 15 seconds for a few pages.
Even websites with high-end users need to consider download times:
many B2B customers access websites from home computers in the
evening because they are too busy to surf the Web during working
hours.
