I’ve been thinking about this and realized that there are many more negative factors than I’d originally anticipated but I will keep them to 7 only. Reasons why I have yet to go back to some websites that I hoped would give me what I needed.
Let’s start with the truly horrific…
1. Slow load times. Don’t make me wait! I pay a premium for my broadband connection and I’ll be damned if your slow-*** pages are going to cause trouble for me.
2. Autosound. This drives me nuts. When I visit a website and am instantly bombarded with an unwanted cacophony of nasty sound I tend to leave with immediate effect. I have other places I can listen to music from before its Christmas.
3. Prioritization of ads vs content. This is the evil twin of slow load times. Some publishers prioritize ads over content (load the ads first and bank the ad money $$$). Some navigation may quickly appear before the whole thing grinds to a halt while we wait for an ad server to kick into life.
4. Browser issues. Test, test, test and figure out what your audience likes to use. Try and avoid controlling the browsing experience too (opening up links in new windows, for example).
5. Interstitial. I don’t visit Forbes as much as I used to any more because Forbes simply loves an interstitial. Information Week should be renamed as Interstitial Week. Nobody likes to wait but this is really just about expectations. When I click on a link I expect to be taken straight to that page, rather than being dumped on a page with a big ad on it.
6. Left-aligned sites. Again - and I can’t really explain why - sites that are aligned to the left (rather than centrally) just seem so 2002, at least to my eye. I don’t know why exactly but I always notice this and I don’t consider it to be a good thing.
7. Cookie cutter websites. Some websites look a little bit me-too for my liking (think of all the Premium Themes you can get if you want to stand out - don't replicate). I actually rather like standardization, I wish all online checkouts were designed in line with our best practice guidelines, but it can be a turn off as far as web design goes.
8. PR speak / jargon. I tend to be of the opinion that you can shove your synergies where the sun doesn’t shine. Do not hit me with a 3year old PR manuscript, watch your tone and I may just "buy" or visit again.
9. Typos. Typos and poor grammar do not send the right signals to visitors. There are literally no excuses nor two ways about it. This is about attention to detail, as much as anything. If you’re not bothered about that kind of thing then what kind of message does it give out?
10. Contrast fail. Poor color combinations can make it difficult to read text. And if you cannot read something there's really very little point in hanging around. Plus if I wanted a color palette I can download it or get the kids to make me something "colorful"
In conclusion I must say that there are a number of great designers and coders out there but my advise is - Stick to what you are good at, Its unlikely that you can be A+ at design and a Maverick at Code too. So build teams and consult.
Let’s start with the truly horrific…
1. Slow load times. Don’t make me wait! I pay a premium for my broadband connection and I’ll be damned if your slow-*** pages are going to cause trouble for me.
2. Autosound. This drives me nuts. When I visit a website and am instantly bombarded with an unwanted cacophony of nasty sound I tend to leave with immediate effect. I have other places I can listen to music from before its Christmas.
3. Prioritization of ads vs content. This is the evil twin of slow load times. Some publishers prioritize ads over content (load the ads first and bank the ad money $$$). Some navigation may quickly appear before the whole thing grinds to a halt while we wait for an ad server to kick into life.
4. Browser issues. Test, test, test and figure out what your audience likes to use. Try and avoid controlling the browsing experience too (opening up links in new windows, for example).
5. Interstitial. I don’t visit Forbes as much as I used to any more because Forbes simply loves an interstitial. Information Week should be renamed as Interstitial Week. Nobody likes to wait but this is really just about expectations. When I click on a link I expect to be taken straight to that page, rather than being dumped on a page with a big ad on it.
6. Left-aligned sites. Again - and I can’t really explain why - sites that are aligned to the left (rather than centrally) just seem so 2002, at least to my eye. I don’t know why exactly but I always notice this and I don’t consider it to be a good thing.
7. Cookie cutter websites. Some websites look a little bit me-too for my liking (think of all the Premium Themes you can get if you want to stand out - don't replicate). I actually rather like standardization, I wish all online checkouts were designed in line with our best practice guidelines, but it can be a turn off as far as web design goes.
8. PR speak / jargon. I tend to be of the opinion that you can shove your synergies where the sun doesn’t shine. Do not hit me with a 3year old PR manuscript, watch your tone and I may just "buy" or visit again.
9. Typos. Typos and poor grammar do not send the right signals to visitors. There are literally no excuses nor two ways about it. This is about attention to detail, as much as anything. If you’re not bothered about that kind of thing then what kind of message does it give out?
10. Contrast fail. Poor color combinations can make it difficult to read text. And if you cannot read something there's really very little point in hanging around. Plus if I wanted a color palette I can download it or get the kids to make me something "colorful"
In conclusion I must say that there are a number of great designers and coders out there but my advise is - Stick to what you are good at, Its unlikely that you can be A+ at design and a Maverick at Code too. So build teams and consult.
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