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

Submitter’s comments: Someone left a business card for something called “Illuminati Exposers” lying around at work, so I decided to check out the website (being interested in this sort of conspiracy theory stuff). I thought, “I’ve seen worse documented here but it’s still worthy of submission.”

Gotta love the multicoloured texts, garish images, over-long pages, and general suckiness of the site.Now to go and clear up the blood that’s oozing out of my eyes…

Vincent Flanders’ comments: It’s a classic example of Mistake #6 from Biggest Mistakes in Web Design 1995-2015 — “Have you ever seen another web site? Really? Doesn’t look like it.“ I call this type of design the “I haven’t taken my antipsychotics in a while school of web design.”

What’s really sad is that Edward Snowden has made conspiracy theories believable – because he’s shown the government is out to get us. Nobody will take this site seriously. I don’t even know if they should because “Why would I want to read a site that doesn’t look credible?”

Illuminati Exposers- The Our Beliefs’ Page

Submitter’s comments: I was looking for a saw for a weekend project when I stumbled on the website of a local lumber store. First thing that caught my attention was the animated background behind a couple images on the home page. The overall design looks like something from the ’90s. The home page is nothing but a list of different product categories arranged in a table, with more lists of brands they carry for each category. I thought clicking on a brand name would show products they sell, but it just links to the manufacturer’s website. When I finally noticed a link to actually shop it took me to another website that listed more product categories, which was even harder to read. Clicking a product category there reveals another page with a list of more product categories, and is even harder to read. I just bought the saw at a local branch of a large chain store.

Vincent Flanders’ comments: I think that covers it. If visitors can’t find what they need, they will leave.

Mortimer Lumber

Submitter’s comments: I think I’ve found a great candidate for your site with it’s Mystery Meat Navigation. It looks like it could be arty, but as it’s about the video game industry it probably should be better designed. See what you think.

Vincent Flanders’ comments: If I’ve used this before, I apologize. I’m running a bit of a fever.

Let’s make a website where the spot you think you should click on in the home page sends you to the site’s subpages (the big text), doesn’t send you anywhere. You have to click on the small text to go the the subpage(s). Once you get there you discover a bunch of unidentified boxes with unidentified people. Even when you mouse over a box you still can’t read the text. I’m not a gamer, so it’s difficult for me to comprehend if the gaming community thinks this is stupid (for the love of all that is sacred and holy, I hope so) or it’s something they’re bloviating about (please, God, no).

CRITICAL PATH | Dynamic Interview Archive

Vincent Flanders’ comments: C’mon, folks. Check out your websites on an iPad and an iPhone. The ad is screwed up (God Forbid!) and the text on the page is hard to read. Works fine on a desktop.

Dog Show

Submitter’s comments: While I was researching training providers in the north-east of Scotland, I was recommended to check out a company called ID Inspire.  A quick Google search brought up the above website. After clicking the link on Google and it trying to open an application(?!), I decided to enter the URL manually.

I still have no idea if this is the company I am looking for, or what on earth this company actually does.  All I can say is ‘Mystery Meat Lorem Ipsum’…

Vincent Flanders’ comments: It’s back to school season here and in most parts of the world. Web design classes are in full swing and it’s the time when a young designer’s fancy turns to “How can I create a website that really, really sucks?” It doesn’t bother me that there isn’t an content other than Lorem Ipsum. What bothers me is the Mystery Meat Navigation. Why do you think your visitors want to guess how to get to your products / services / whatever you’re selling because I can’t tell.

The good news is there’s “still time to change the road you’re on.”

id-inspire