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

Submitter’s comments: I was watching the Colbert Report tonight and he had a segment on a two-time loser GOP candidate in Arizona who changed his name from Scott Fistler to Cesar Chavez. Oh. He also changed his party affiliation to Democrat in a heavily Hispanic district. Colbert made fun of him for the usual reasons, one of which was the wannabe Congressman had pictures on his website of all these pro-Chavez marchers carrying signs saying things like “Viva Chavez,” which implies some kind of endorsement for Fistler-Chavez. Turns out the signs weren’t for him—or the real Cesar Chavez—but HUGO Chavez, the late socialist president of Venezuela.

You’ve said you hate all politicians, but this is just too much.

Vincent Flanders’ comments: Too much for a politician? Hmm. That will be the day. For my foreign readers who may not be aware of the real Cesar Chavez, here’s a Wikipedia link.

Because he was found out, the Fistler-Chavez home page has changed. Luckily, The Arizona Capital Times website has a background story, a screen shot of the old Fistler-Chavez home page in question and a video I couldn’t get YouTube to load.

A website is supposed to be truthful. If it isn’t…well, you know the answer to that. This site wasn’t truthful. It isn’t even informative. His Google+ “About” page doesn’t really say anything. To say there’s too much white space is an understatement (something I’m not known for) and he’s got a damn globe for the background image.

Mr. Fistler-Chavez wants to have it both ways, but we have a saying here in America, “You can’t have your cake and eat it (too).” Or should I say, “Usted no puede tener su pastel y comérselo también” (according to Google Translate <grin>).

Here’s the newspaper’s screenshot of the old site

Here’s the current site for Cesar Chavez for Congress 2014

Vincent Flanders’ comments: What in the name of God is wrong with the Wall Street Journal (WSJ)? I’m on my iPad reading a Facebook post by Jason Isbell where he mentions that the WSJ has his new video Super 8 Motel. Cool. I click the link and scroll down. There’s no freaking video. Why? Because the WSJ is using Flash, which Steve Jobs killed off. You can’t view Flash on iPhones or iPads. EVERYBODY but the WSJ knows this. You can search Google to find a billion (slight exaggeration) articles on how to serve both Flash and Apple video formats.

This is the type of error that could be quickly fixed, so check soon.

I can’t believe how effing stupid the folks are at The WSJ.

Wall Street Journal

Submitter’s comments: This website belongs to a commercial operation selling mainly Rover P6 parts. There is a design theme of Vomit yellow and black (with added cyan, magenta and other colours reminiscent of Windows95).

Menu’s are on car icons that you can’t easily read. Scroll down and on the left is “Maria’s Art – The General” which is a secret menu button to attempt to sell someone—presumably family members—(pejorative term deleted) art work. Each page through the menus has no conformity, just varying themes of vomit yellow until you reach the Shop! – At last some resemblance of better design, but hang on – the logo at the top of the shop for MGBD is nothing like the logo (or lack of it) on the main pages!

At the bottom of the menus they’re also showing pictures of Rover P6s at cars shows they’ve been to, which does nothing for enhancing their brand. Clicking on the Classic Car Inspections menu link and they’ve even spelled the title wrong (“Inpsections”)

Surely they could improve their revenues with good website design and consistent branding … and just focusing on their business and not the ancillary distractions.

Vincent Flanders’ comments: Hmm. I never found “Shop!” so I can’t judge the validity of the comments; however, there are lots and lots of problems. The one that drives me crazy is the content doesn’t fit on my 1200 px wide monitor. I have to scroll horizontally. There’s no consistency. Believe me, I know what a lack of consistency looks like because this site is pretty effing inconsistent. This page (The Daily Sucker) looks different from the home page and a lot of other pages. I probably have three or more different looks but, then again, this is Web Pages That SUCK—not Web Pages That DON’T SUCK.

MGBD Parts & Services

Submitter’s comments: New World Stages, great company, great venue, some great shows, but the website… Click on the events link? A completely separate page which is actually more functional. If you click on The Green Room, you’ll go straight to a Facebook page. What? Click on any of the shows’ icons? Pop-out windows. Gallery? Straight to the artist’s web-page—no information about the gallery itself. Click on the Stage Entertainment Logo at the top—which doesn’t match anything else—and you’re taken to another website.

On the Tickets page, see the buttons which say “TICKETS” next to each of the shows? They’re unclickable (you have to click on the picture of the show, instead). Finally, just for fun, look at the handy-dandy map on the Location page.

Vincent Flanders’ comments: I fully agree with what the submitter said. I’m using the site because the links take you to unexpected places and going unexpected places is not where your visitors want to go. Also the Gallery link takes you to a Flash-based website—which is fine unless you’re using an iOS device. The Stage Enterprises logo should not be at the top left. Normally, the top-left logo should take you to the home page unless it’s on the home page. They have a home link at the bottom of the menu on the left side, but that’s not where it should be.

Well, at least you can read the text (except on mobile).

New World Stages

Submitter’s comments: I’m hoping that seeing their website on the list will prompt them to redesign. They represent a formal scientific body in South Africa, have thousands of hits a month from geological tourists throughout the world and really do need to do a better job!

Vincent Flanders’ comments: I realize rocks are old, but this website comes from the Chattian Age and it’s time to get a new look. Yes, you can read the text (one of my pet peeves), but the contrast strains the eyes. It appears they’re using a large background image instead of using the CSS hex code #000050. The background image wastes precious time and bandwidth.

Geological Society of South Africa