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| (Don't forget to check out the So-much-better
Checklist*.)
Backgrounds
 |
Gray
default background color |
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Color
combinations of text and background that make the text hard
to read |
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Busy,
distracting backgrounds that make the text hard to read |
Text
|
Text
crowding against the left edge |
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Text
that stretches all the way across the page |
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Centered
type over flush left body copy |
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Paragraphs
of type in all caps |
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Paragraphs
of type in bold |
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Paragraphs
of type in italic |
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Paragraphs
of type in all caps, bold, and italic all at once |
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Text
that is underlined that isn't a hyperlink |
Links
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Blue
link borders around graphics |
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Links
that are not clear about where they will take you to |
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Links
in body copy that distract readers and lead them off to
remote, useless pages |
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Dead
or broken links |
Graphics
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Large
graphic files that take forever to download |
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Meaningless
or useless graphic files |
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Thumbnail
images that are nearly as large as the full-sized images
they link to |
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Graphics
with "halos" (called anti-aliasing
"artifacts") around the edges |
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Graphics
with no alt labels |
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Missing
graphics, especially missing graphics with no alt labels |
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Graphics
that don't fit o the screen |
Tables
|
Borders
turned on in tables (except for tables or information) |
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Tables
used as design elements, especially with extra large borders |
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Blinking
and animations |
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Anything
that blinks, especially text |
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Multiple
things that blink |
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"Under
construction" signs |
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Animated
pictures for e-mail |
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Animations
that never stop |
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Multiple
animations that never stop |
Junk
|
Counter
on pages (except if you have no other way of gathering
statistics. FrontPage provides a way of inserting an
invisible counter. Contact me for more info.) |
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Junky
advertising |
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Having
to scroll sideways |
Navigation
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Unclear
navigation; overly complex navigation |
|
Complicated
frames, too many frames, unnecessary scroll bars in frames |
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Orphan
pages (no links back to where they came from, no
identification) |
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Useless
page titles that don't explain what the page is about |
General
Design
|
Entry
page or home page that does not fit within standard browser
window (640 x 480 pixels) |
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No
focal point on the page; too many focal points on a page |
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Navigation
buttons as the only visual interest |
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Cluttered,
not enough alignment |
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Lack
of contrast |
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Pages
that look okay in one browser but not in another |
*Adapted from
The Non-Designer's Web Book, Robin
Williams and John Tollett, Peachpit Press, © 1998, p. 154. |
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