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Jakob
Nielsen's Alertbox for May 1996:
Top Ten Mistakes in Web Design
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, <BLINK> is simply evil. Enough said.
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.
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. (Note: Notice that I haven't followed Jakob's advice.)
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.
  
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