I am so sick of seeing websites with a serious overload of Flash, and just plain UGLINESS! I’ve noticed that websites for rock bands have this problem a LOT.
When I go to a website, I don’t want to wait around for your pretty pictures to load. I just want to see the friggin’ information and leave, not go on a scenic tour. I don’t mind it much when it’s just the first page, and they have an option for none flash. But so many don’t! Where are these guys hiring the web designers? And how much are they getting paid?? Some of these websites deserve to be featured as an Awful Link of the Day at www.somethingawful.com.
Haven’t these guys read ANY webdesign books at all? Would it be SO hard to put an option for none-flash and have mercy on my bandwidth?
The thing wants to load some Apple program, which I allow, and wait for, and wait for. Finally it’s done, but it won’t execute. And I’m on the most popular OS and browser.
Well, duh. It’s an Apple program, and you’re running Windows. Of course it won’t execute – it’s just as ineffective as trying to run a Windows program on a Mac.
I despise any website that brings itself to the foreground. This is evil, wrong, and should be abolished by an act of Congress and/or God.
I second the bandwith hogs. A few pics are ok. Quite a few pics are ok as well, so long as they’re small. But huge detailed graphics? Save 'em for someplace other than the main page! Give me the option of clicking on something to see them if I want to. Flash is in the same vein, but more annoying. Especially when all the flash does is give a couple of links and show some pics. Have the makers of that page never heard of <img> and <a> tags?
Any site that has more than a single pop-up ad. (I hate even one pop-up ad, but I can understand the need for advertising.)
Any large site that doesn’t have a search option, or has a search option in such an obscure location that one has to, uh, search for it.
The best rule for good web design is avoid graphics and flash animation and keep the damn thing simple.
I have been running a college website. I try to keep everything simple, with small graphices (and ADA compliance). A few weeks ago, our athletic department hired someone to do their own website. The first I knew about it was when they asked for me to redirect their page to the new site (http://sienasaints.fansonly.com/). The opening page is tolerable now, but only after I explained very forcefully that you didn’t want everyone to visit the site to have to see the Flash animation. (The original version went directly to the Flash.)
The rest of the page is a mess, too. (Check out the History link – the original version automatically loaded a PDF file, one which could easily have been converted to HTML, in a frame!) And I won’t even get into the issues with ADA compliance.
The sad thing is that they hired a “professional” designer to create these pages, and the result shows little knowledge of good web design.
I have to 2nd RealityChuck’s advice. I’ve found that the best looking pages I’ve created have only 1 graphic (usually the logo) in the upper left corner of the page, text and hyperlinks, and a WHITE background.
It depends on the content/topic of the page. I actually think that it makes sense that most bands’ webpages (you listed Staind, Distrubed, Goldfinger) will go for a flash page, given the visual impact of music videos, etc. Obviously, a graphic arts / webdesign company will (and should) go for the most eye candy possible.
Me? When I design pages, I go for efficiency and the lowest possible download time. I RARELY use JavaScript rollovers and graphics; I rely more on tables to break the page up.
That said, I am also of the opinion that a good webpage will give you the option right up front of entering a flash or a non-flash page.
Well, he said an “Apple program,” which to me suggests some sort of non-plugin, external-to-the-browser executable (like, say, Stuffit Expander).
As for general web design principles, I do all of my HTML by hand, repeat image elements as much as possible, and use Cascading Style Sheets to add color and flair without eating up bandwidth. But then, I’m not a band…
What I hate is websites that are doing a lot of backend stuff…stuff that gives them more information, but does jack shit for me except make things slooooow.
Dynamic content my arse. Just give me a page that loads and I can do the rest myself, thank you.
A vote for websites that redirect you back to themselves, so you can’t use “Back” on your Browser (you have to click the dropdown and pick the second address)
Pop-ups of any kind.
Sites that require registration (even free) before letting you search or view articles.
Cheezy JavaScript banners (also prevent you from hovering your mouse over a link to see where it will take you).
Web sites that (try to) add themselves to your bookmarks/favorites.
“Under construction” with the little guy using a shovel.
I nominate, for the worst “professional designed” website, the Traralgon Book Exchange site. I’m not sure if they paid for it, or if it was a comp since the designers (Scribex) are next door to them, but it’s horrible and disgusting and if Scribex are charging people for websites of this calibre, they should be imprisoned!
I don’t know what would be a suitable punishment for people who commission these hideous examples of bandwidth wastage.
Good Lord. I just checked out the web design page and found that they want to charge $AU225 to ruin your business with one of their “web sites”.
At one time, Armani had a website that was absolutely atrocious - it was loaded with video clips, piled on high, that took forever to load even on my DSL line, and when they did they were jerky, blurry, and worthless. I am quite serious - to see their home page, I was required to download no less than about 8 MB of video, two plug-ins for the browser, and untold numbers of animations. And then, when I tried to browse their selections, to see sort of an online catalogue, I found their site impossible to navigate. They also had numerous javascript, java, or java-esque controls that were causing GPFs in both Netscape and IE. I finally gave up, and haven’t been back since.
