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

Submitter’s comments: This one’s a doozy and it comes from the British Film Institute (BFI), of all people:

In an extraordinary take on Mystery Meat Navigation (MMN), the BFI has managed to create a unique variant that I have given the provisional taxonomy of “Everlasting Mystery Meat Navigation.” Not only must the user mouse over the images to find out what’s underneath (touchscreen devices need not apply), but the page scrolls forever redrawing the same set of images over and over again and frequently in different places on the screen.

The effect is both mesmerising and infuriating, in a ratio of approximately 30-70%. Whilst probably not the most egregious example of the oeuvre extant, I put it to you that the sui generis nature of this specimen is worthy of mention on the august pages of your site, lest other people are inspired by this to create their own version. The prospect of the proliferation of similar sites is too horrible to contemplate.

Vincent Flanders’ comments: Pinterest + Mystery Meat Navigation = Supremely Bad Web Design. The Pinterest website made #6 on my Worst Websites of 2012: They Should Know Better list. I know Pinterest is popular, but popularity doesn’t excuse bad web design. The article Why Pinterest-style infinite-scroll layouts are worthless for everyone except Pinterest explains the problems quite well. The bottom line? “The layout works for Pinterest purely because no one goes there looking for something particular, and because it’s not crucial to Pinterest’s success that the user see any one photo. ”

Unfortunately, visitors to this page are looking for information. While they want to explore film, they need a semblance of navigation to aim them in the right direction. There’s no logic to the order and no way to know where they’ll end up unless they mouse over a picture.

British Film Industry’s (BFI) Explore Film Page