1. Using Frames
Splitting a page into frames is very confusing for users since frames break the fundamental user model of
the web page. All of a sudden, you cannot bookmark the current page and return to it (the bookmark
points to another version of the frameset), URLs stop working, and printouts become difficult. Even
worse, the predictability of user actions goes out the door: who knows what information will appear
where when you click on a link?
2. Gratuitous Use of Bleeding-Edge Technology
Don't try to attract users to your site by bragging about use of the latest web technology. You may attract
a few nerds, but mainstream users will care more about useful content and your ability to offer good
customer service. Using the latest and greatest before it is even out of beta is a sure way to discourage
users: if their system crashes while visiting your site, you can bet that many of them will not be back.
Unless you are in the business of selling Internet products or services, it is better to wait until some
experience has been gained with respect to the appropriate ways of using new techniques. When desktop
publishing was young, people put twenty fonts in their documents: let's avoid similar design bloat on the
Web.
As an example: Use VRML if you actually have information that maps naturally onto a three-dimensional
space (e.g., architectural design, shoot-them-up games, surgery planning). Don't use VRML if your data
is N-dimensional since it is usually better to produce 2-dimensional overviews that fit with the actual
display and input hardware available to the user.
3. Scrolling Text, Marquees, and Constantly Running Animations
Never include page elements that move incessantly. Moving images have an overpowering effect on the
human peripheral vision. A web page should not emulate Times Square in New York City in its constant
attack on the human senses: give your user some peace and quiet to actually read the text!
Of course,
4. Complex URLs
Even though machine-level addressing like the URL should never have been exposed in the user
interface, it is there and we have found that users actually try to decode the URLs of pages to infer the
structure of web sites. Users do this because of the horrifying lack of support for navigation and sense of
location in current web browsers. Thus, a URL should contain human-readable directory and file names
that reflect the nature of the information space.
Also, users sometimes need to type in a URL, so try to minimize the risk of typos by using short names
with all lower-case characters and no special characters (many people don't know how to type a ~).
5. Orphan Pages
Make sure that all pages include a clear indication of what web site they belong to since users may access
pages directly without coming in through your home page. For the same reason, every page should have
a link up to your home page as well as some indication of where they fit within the structure of your
information space.
6. Long Scrolling Pages
Only 10% of users scroll beyond the information that is visible on the screen when a page comes up. All
critical content and navigation options should be on the top part of the page. (So why is this page long:
because it is a leaf node that is only read by people with special interests - but I should have been more brief!)
7. Lack of Navigation Support
Don't assume that users know as much about your site as you do. They always have difficulty finding
information, so they need support in the form of a strong sense of structure and place. Start your design
with a good understanding of the structure of the information space and communicate this structure
explicitly to the user. Provide a site map and let users know where they are and where they can go. Also,
you will need a good search feature since even the best navigation support will never be enough.
8. Non-Standard Link Colors
Links to pages that have not been seen by the user are blue; links to previously seen pages are purple or
red. Don't mess with these colors since the ability to understand what links have been followed is one of
the few navigational aides that is standard in most web browsers. Consistency is key to teaching users
what the link colors mean.
9. Outdated Information
Budget to hire a web gardener as part of your team. You need somebody to root out the weeds and
replant the flowers as the website changes but most people would rather spend their time creating new
content than on maintenance. In practice, maintenance is a cheap way of enhancing the content on your
website since many old pages keep their relevance and should be linked into the new pages. Of course,
some pages are better off being removed completely from the server after their expiration date.
10. Overly Long Download Times
I am placing this issue last because most people already know about it; not because it is the least
important. Traditional human factors guidelines indicate 10 seconds as the maximum response time
before users lose interest. On the web, users have been trained to endure so much suffering that it may be
acceptable to increase this limit to 15 seconds for a few pages.
Even websites with high-end users need to consider download times: we have found that many of our
customers access Sun's website from home computers in the evening because they are too busy to surf
the web during working hours. Bandwidth is getting worse, not better, as the Internet adds users faster
than the infrastructure can keep up.
