Top 10 Web Design Mistakes by Jacob Nielsen. Version 2007.
New rating of web design errors from world authority in the field of usability, the head of the “Nielsen Norman Group” Jacob Nielsen. These 10 new ones only complement other errors from Nielsen - “running lines”, heavy Flash, browser incompatibility, etc.
1. Inconvenient search
Overly literal search systems reduce usability in the sense that they cannot cope with typos, plurals, quotes, and other variations of search queries. Such search engines are particularly inconvenient for older people, although they can hurt anyone.
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A similar problem is when a search engine puts above those search results that simply contain a greater number of search queries, whereas the results should be placed in order of importance. It is much better when your search engine places the best offers at the top of the list of results - especially for important queries, such as the names of your products.
The search is the last straw for which a site visitor grabs when navigation fails. But, even if an advanced search sometimes helps people, a quick search usually works best . In addition, the search should be placed in a concisely designed block, because this is what users expect.
2. PDF files for online reading
Users hate stumbling on PDFs while surfing the web, because it breaks the wave. Even simple things, such as printing and saving documents, are difficult to do because standard browser commands do not work. The layout of elements in a PDF file is optimized for A4 paper, and this rarely coincides with the size of the browser window. So, farewell, smooth scrolling. Hello, tiny fonts.
And worst of all, PDF is a single piece of content in which it is difficult to find a way.
PDF is good for printing, for distributing instructions and other large documents that need to be printed. So let it serve this very purpose. And the information on which you need to travel, or just read it on the screen, it is better to turn into real web pages.
3. Unchanging color of previously visited links.
Knowledge of past locations helps to decide where to go next. Links are a key factor in the navigation process. Users can exclude from their travel links that have shown their worthlessness during previous visits. Conversely, they can re-visit those sections that have already benefited them earlier.
Most importantly, knowing which links you’ve already visited frees you from inadvertently visiting the same pages.
All this useful knowledge is possible only under one condition: when users can distinguish between visited links and new ones, due to the fact that the site shows them in different colors. When previously visited links are not highlighted in a different color, users are more often disoriented and inadvertently visit the same pages.
4. Unreadable text
A solid wall of text is a terrible experience for a site visitor. She puzzles and scares. Drives to sleep. It literally hurts to read.
Write for the Web , not for printing. To entice the reader with texts and make them easier to read, use well-proven tricks:
5. Fixed font size
Unfortunately, CSS style sheets allow sites to disable the browser command “change font size” and set a fixed size. In approximately 95% of cases, this fixed size is very small , which significantly reduces the readability of the text, at least for all those over 40.
Respect user preferences and let them change the font size when they want it. In addition, it is necessary to specify the size of the font in relative values, and not in the exact numbers of pixels.
6. Lack of optimized page headers.
Search is the main way that websites are found. It is also one of the main ways of targeting websites. A simple page title is your main tool for attracting new visitors from search results. It also helps existing users locate the desired pages.
The page title is contained within an HTML tag. It is almost always used as a clickable header among search engine results (SERPs). Search engines usually show the first 66 characters of the title, so the title is a real microcontent.
Page headers are also used as default text entered into browser bookmarks when users add a site to their favorites. For example, the heading of the main page of a corporate site is better to start with the name of the company, and continue with a brief description of the site. Do not start headlines with insignificant words or “Welcome” (unless you want your site sorted alphabetically in a certain way.
For the internal pages of the site, start the title with some of the most important words that describe what the user will find on this page. Since the title of the page is also used as the title of the window in the browser, it is also used by Windows users as the name of the window on the taskbar. This means that more experienced users will move between the windows, focusing on the first words in their headings. If all the pages of your site begin with the same words, you significantly reduce the usability of the pages of the site for such users.
7. Everything that looks like an advertisement.
Selective attention is a very powerful thing, and Internet users have learned not to pay attention to any kind of advertising that stands in their purposeful way. The main exception to this rule is text ads in search engines.
Unfortunately, users also ignore those elements of web pages that resemble the main types of advertising. Still, when you ignore something, you usually do not study it in detail.
Therefore, it is best to avoid those design options that make site elements look like ad units. In the future, special cases of this subsection will change with the advent of new types of advertising, but for now follow these rules:
8. Violation of generally accepted design rules
Persistence is one of the main principles of usability: if elements always behave in the same way, users do not need to worry about what can happen. On the contrary, they know what will happen next, as past experience tells them. Every time you let go of an apple above Sir Isaac Newton’s head, it will fall on his head. And this is great.
The more often confirmed user expectations, the more they will feel control over the system, and the more they will like it. And the more often the system deceives people's expectations, the more insecure they will feel. Oh, and suddenly, if I let go of this apple, it will turn into a tomato and fly away to the sky.
Jacob’s law states: "Most of the time, users spend on other sites."
This means that they form their expectations of your site, based on how it is usually done on other sites. If you shy away from these rules, the site will be harder to use, and people will start to leave.
9. The appearance of new windows in the browser
This can be compared with the seller of vacuum cleaners, which begins a visit to the buyer by tipping an ashtray on his carpet. Do not contaminate my screen with additional windows. Thank. (This is especially true because existing operating systems are not well able to manage these windows).
Designers open new windows in the browser, based on the theory that it keeps visitors on their website. But even if you do not take into account that a message hostile to a person appears on the screen and gains control over his system, this strategy destroys itself because it disables the Back button - a natural way to return to the previous pages. Users often do not notice that a new window has opened, especially if they have small monitors, where the browser windows are fully opened to fill the screen. In this case, the user who wishes to return will be confused by the look of the gray and inactive Back button.
Links that do not behave as expected from them violate the user's understanding of their own system. The link should be a simple hypertext that fills the open page with new content. Users hate windows that pop up without warning. If they want a new page to appear in a new window, they can use the corresponding command in the browser - of course, if the link is not a fragment of code that contradicts the standard behavior of the browser.
10. Questions without answers
Internet users are very purposeful people. They visit sites because there is a goal they want to achieve - maybe even buy your product. The factor of complete destruction of the site is the inability to provide the information that users are looking for.
Sometimes, there is simply no answer on the site, and you lose profit because users are forced to conclude that your product or service does not respond to their requests if you do not explain the details to them. Sometimes these details are buried under a thick layer of professional jargon and loud slogans. Since users do not have time to read everything, such hidden information is just the same as no information.
The worst example of unanswered questions is not to provide prices for goods or services. No B2C-site will not allow such an error, but it is common in B2B sites. Price - the most necessary element of information that people use to understand the essence of the proposal. Not to show the price means to make people feel lost and prevent them from understanding the nature of the product.
Even B2C sites often make a similar mistake, not including prices in product listings, such as category pages or search results. Knowledge of price is key in both situations; This allows users to differentiate products and get to the most needed.
1. Inconvenient search
Overly literal search systems reduce usability in the sense that they cannot cope with typos, plurals, quotes, and other variations of search queries. Such search engines are particularly inconvenient for older people, although they can hurt anyone.
')
A similar problem is when a search engine puts above those search results that simply contain a greater number of search queries, whereas the results should be placed in order of importance. It is much better when your search engine places the best offers at the top of the list of results - especially for important queries, such as the names of your products.
The search is the last straw for which a site visitor grabs when navigation fails. But, even if an advanced search sometimes helps people, a quick search usually works best . In addition, the search should be placed in a concisely designed block, because this is what users expect.
2. PDF files for online reading
Users hate stumbling on PDFs while surfing the web, because it breaks the wave. Even simple things, such as printing and saving documents, are difficult to do because standard browser commands do not work. The layout of elements in a PDF file is optimized for A4 paper, and this rarely coincides with the size of the browser window. So, farewell, smooth scrolling. Hello, tiny fonts.
And worst of all, PDF is a single piece of content in which it is difficult to find a way.
PDF is good for printing, for distributing instructions and other large documents that need to be printed. So let it serve this very purpose. And the information on which you need to travel, or just read it on the screen, it is better to turn into real web pages.
3. Unchanging color of previously visited links.
Knowledge of past locations helps to decide where to go next. Links are a key factor in the navigation process. Users can exclude from their travel links that have shown their worthlessness during previous visits. Conversely, they can re-visit those sections that have already benefited them earlier.
Most importantly, knowing which links you’ve already visited frees you from inadvertently visiting the same pages.
All this useful knowledge is possible only under one condition: when users can distinguish between visited links and new ones, due to the fact that the site shows them in different colors. When previously visited links are not highlighted in a different color, users are more often disoriented and inadvertently visit the same pages.
4. Unreadable text
A solid wall of text is a terrible experience for a site visitor. She puzzles and scares. Drives to sleep. It literally hurts to read.
Write for the Web , not for printing. To entice the reader with texts and make them easier to read, use well-proven tricks:
- subtitles
- bulleted lists
- bold keywords
- short paragraphs
- the further the text, the shorter the paragraphs
- simple writing style
- language free from professional jargon
5. Fixed font size
Unfortunately, CSS style sheets allow sites to disable the browser command “change font size” and set a fixed size. In approximately 95% of cases, this fixed size is very small , which significantly reduces the readability of the text, at least for all those over 40.
Respect user preferences and let them change the font size when they want it. In addition, it is necessary to specify the size of the font in relative values, and not in the exact numbers of pixels.
6. Lack of optimized page headers.
Search is the main way that websites are found. It is also one of the main ways of targeting websites. A simple page title is your main tool for attracting new visitors from search results. It also helps existing users locate the desired pages.
The page title is contained within an HTML tag. It is almost always used as a clickable header among search engine results (SERPs). Search engines usually show the first 66 characters of the title, so the title is a real microcontent.
Page headers are also used as default text entered into browser bookmarks when users add a site to their favorites. For example, the heading of the main page of a corporate site is better to start with the name of the company, and continue with a brief description of the site. Do not start headlines with insignificant words or “Welcome” (unless you want your site sorted alphabetically in a certain way.
For the internal pages of the site, start the title with some of the most important words that describe what the user will find on this page. Since the title of the page is also used as the title of the window in the browser, it is also used by Windows users as the name of the window on the taskbar. This means that more experienced users will move between the windows, focusing on the first words in their headings. If all the pages of your site begin with the same words, you significantly reduce the usability of the pages of the site for such users.
7. Everything that looks like an advertisement.
Selective attention is a very powerful thing, and Internet users have learned not to pay attention to any kind of advertising that stands in their purposeful way. The main exception to this rule is text ads in search engines.
Unfortunately, users also ignore those elements of web pages that resemble the main types of advertising. Still, when you ignore something, you usually do not study it in detail.
Therefore, it is best to avoid those design options that make site elements look like ad units. In the future, special cases of this subsection will change with the advent of new types of advertising, but for now follow these rules:
- banner blindness means that the user never stops looking at banner-like elements - in a form, pattern or arrangement on a page;
- fear of animation causes users to ignore sections with flashing text or other types of aggressive animation;
- the fear of pop-up windows causes people to close pop-up windows before they are fully loaded.
8. Violation of generally accepted design rules
Persistence is one of the main principles of usability: if elements always behave in the same way, users do not need to worry about what can happen. On the contrary, they know what will happen next, as past experience tells them. Every time you let go of an apple above Sir Isaac Newton’s head, it will fall on his head. And this is great.
The more often confirmed user expectations, the more they will feel control over the system, and the more they will like it. And the more often the system deceives people's expectations, the more insecure they will feel. Oh, and suddenly, if I let go of this apple, it will turn into a tomato and fly away to the sky.
Jacob’s law states: "Most of the time, users spend on other sites."
This means that they form their expectations of your site, based on how it is usually done on other sites. If you shy away from these rules, the site will be harder to use, and people will start to leave.
9. The appearance of new windows in the browser
This can be compared with the seller of vacuum cleaners, which begins a visit to the buyer by tipping an ashtray on his carpet. Do not contaminate my screen with additional windows. Thank. (This is especially true because existing operating systems are not well able to manage these windows).
Designers open new windows in the browser, based on the theory that it keeps visitors on their website. But even if you do not take into account that a message hostile to a person appears on the screen and gains control over his system, this strategy destroys itself because it disables the Back button - a natural way to return to the previous pages. Users often do not notice that a new window has opened, especially if they have small monitors, where the browser windows are fully opened to fill the screen. In this case, the user who wishes to return will be confused by the look of the gray and inactive Back button.
Links that do not behave as expected from them violate the user's understanding of their own system. The link should be a simple hypertext that fills the open page with new content. Users hate windows that pop up without warning. If they want a new page to appear in a new window, they can use the corresponding command in the browser - of course, if the link is not a fragment of code that contradicts the standard behavior of the browser.
10. Questions without answers
Internet users are very purposeful people. They visit sites because there is a goal they want to achieve - maybe even buy your product. The factor of complete destruction of the site is the inability to provide the information that users are looking for.
Sometimes, there is simply no answer on the site, and you lose profit because users are forced to conclude that your product or service does not respond to their requests if you do not explain the details to them. Sometimes these details are buried under a thick layer of professional jargon and loud slogans. Since users do not have time to read everything, such hidden information is just the same as no information.
The worst example of unanswered questions is not to provide prices for goods or services. No B2C-site will not allow such an error, but it is common in B2B sites. Price - the most necessary element of information that people use to understand the essence of the proposal. Not to show the price means to make people feel lost and prevent them from understanding the nature of the product.
Even B2C sites often make a similar mistake, not including prices in product listings, such as category pages or search results. Knowledge of price is key in both situations; This allows users to differentiate products and get to the most needed.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/41637/
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