Things that need to STOP

cut out your crying, I am a designer and yes i use grey type for those disclaimers etc. but its because no one wants to read that stuff and people like you who need stuff in there face, take up all the valuable space on the page and it leaves us little room for anything. This way some of us get to get our points across without everything screaming read me!

and your such a old fuddy duddy.... you need to stop

Mark,

Thank you for saying what needed to be said. Let us all remember the KISS principle.

Yesterday, out of curiousity I went to a web site recommended on another blog I read.... and it wanted me to CHASE THE NAVIGATION AROUND THE SCREEN. Hello! I can't think of any online info that I want that badly.

L. A.

Maybe you should check the tone of your email before you send it out. I have always enjoyed your Good Experience emails until this one.
When I read it, it sounds downright immature. Addressing (ormaking fun of) your audience through your Good Experience email undermines your 10 years of online experience.

I might agree with most of your points but they come across deragatory and that is not a good experience for any of your readers. No body has to subscribe to that.

I take issue with cell phones that make noise when turning OFF! Yup - my NEC makes noise when it turns on AND off. Sigh...

Two words on your rant: spot on
Two more words: street cred
Keep it coming. Tis needed.

Sheesh, you got up on the wrong side of the web browser this morning. I suspect it had something to do with ZOMBO.COM. I agree with most of what you ranted about.
But regarding search complexification: Mac OSX 10.4 has this new thing called Spotlight that solves that. One would suspect that Redmond is watching and learning.

I am so fed up with having to listen over and over again to the automated instructions that tell me how to leave a message on someone's voice mail. Geez! Not like I haven't done so before. First the automated voice mail system tells you what to do, then the person's own recording tells you what to do. Hello!! Five minutes later you get to leave your message. Voice mail systems need to shorten it up, and people can stop telling us to wait for the beep. Just let us know that we dialed the right number and let us get on with leaving you a message.

Hi - me again. Some of the posters above appear to keep their designs pretty close to their hearts. Lighten up folks! You want to design with moving navigation? Go ahead! Eight point verdana? Just do it. Twenty-five percent gray text rather than black? Snazzy. Want everyone to tell you how great your design is? Dream on. This is what keep the rest of us working.

Keep blogging away, Mark.

Dear Andy Rooney,

Great comments and as always, love the crusty tone!

I'm a user experience/web design dude with 11 years of experience and there has been one consistent complaint among my clients regarding their general web use: Websites are too hard to read.

There are a number of studies that prove reading text on a computer is more difficult, even if I didn't have anecdotal evidence for it.

So to those who disagree with this rant, I would tell you to open your eyes and interject a little pragmatism into your design.

Great rant, by the way.

I totally agree! Especially the cell phone comments. Thank you so much for being a voice in the wilderness voicing these annoyances.

As for web issues, for those of us who have to be online most of our waking lives, all those annoying design renderings are not "kewl", they're "krewl"!

Mark, I hear you. But... *Ahem* the Page Paradigm page, and this very page, by the way, exhibit the gray text you so revile. (And on this page, it's small, too.) Physician, heal thyself.

The Web is all about competition for attention. Being the ultimate in usability doesn't translate into being the most successful site. It should, perhaps. But looking kewl has value, baby. (Hence the offending text styles, methinks? Just a little "silly branding" sneaking in there, huh?)

The problem with a goal-based paradigm is that in the real world, users have fuzzy goals. The missing piece of the Page Paradigm is how the user's interest and attention are stimulated -- probably by many things that don't advance the Goal. But you provide food for thought, certainly, and ranting feels good (hey -- I'm soaking in it!) so keep it coming. Thanks for creating a discourse on these important topics.

Thanks for commenting on many of the issues I've been ranting to my coworkers about for a while. "Pretty" vs. functional is taking over and our clients suffer - it might look nice but heck if they can read it or use it. Gray has it's time and place. And I've been annoyed by my turn-off music since day one of receiving my cell phone. Never made sense. I like the salt - keep it coming!

You said it, Mark, and you said it well. I used to subscibe to a hip rock mag that came with a CD. It was called "huH" and it was great musically, but the type started becoming yellow on a red background, and even weirder. Never mind 20/20 - maybe an eagle could decipher it! At that point, I just listened to the music.

One thing about cell phones (or my Verizon clam shell, anyway): If you depress and HOLD the * key, it goes into "manner mode" (ie - vibrate) with just a single beep. I believe that is a step in the right direction. Ultimately, it is the end user who is responsible for using common courtesy. We should be turning off or pressing "*" before going into the movie, church, synagogue, etc...

GG

I agree 100% To those who think you are being unreasonable.... What is the point of the site if it is not useable and readable? Are you making this site for your own enjoyment and satisfaction or is it being made as a service to the people who visit it? Web design can and should be fun and satisfying for the designer...that fun and satisfaction is hopefully coming from the fact that you created something useable AND kewl! Kewl and effective should be the same thing, no?

Mark, I receive your weekly email in text format, and it shows up so tiny, I can't read it. I have to manipulate the font for your email only - have no problem with other test emails. Why is it so tiny? I'm talking, 8 point serif. Thanks, S.

The issue of cell phones requiring a password to check voicemail is complex. CDMA phone (e.g. Sprint PCS) are run on technology that handles this. Many other phone systems don't support it. I suppose the carriers could use caller ID as identification, but it's not that difficult to fake caller ID.

I agree with many of your comments, but not all. First off, the Mac platform may be bright and fun, but it is endlessly usable. Also, the experience of using a Mac is why I'm willing to pay more for them. God, the last thing I want is my computer to be only " a productivity machine." That would probably cause me to hate my job ( graphic design .)

Also, I just have to disagree on the gray type issue. Let me give you a quote from Robert Valentine. " Laying type in a color or tint rather than solid black, keeps it from being overpowering. Even the small stuff looks better in dark gray than in a solid black." I couldn't agree more.

Obviously there are a lot of poorly designed websites out there, but that doesn't mean every site should be designed by Jakob Nielsen.

thanks,
corey

Actually, there is a way to turn anti-aliasing off in Windows (control panel > display). In Mac OS X too, I would guess, although I don't have a Mac at hand to check it out right now.

Regarding font sizes, you're not trapped into Liliput either : most browsers let you control font sizes nowadays. I personally hit ctrl-+ quite often, even if my eyes are fine.

My wife's cell phone used to beep periodically when you had an unchecked voicemail waiting - even when set to SILENT.

On the gray text: I read your article on your site. Your text color is #ccc, which is gray. It is actually closer to #484848 when my system anti-aliases it. The text is even lighter on this comment page.

On link underlining: I refuse to be boxed in by the default design choices of the physicists and engineers who built the first web browsers. I concur that links should be easily distinguished from other text, but we don't have to use #00f underlined text.

Well, that was an interesting rant.

I agree with the noisy cellphone shutdowns. My latest phone goes through an annoyingly noisy start and shutdown. Luckily, there are options to disable these features, and that was what I did immediately.

The cell phone passwords may be more of a combination onf technical and legal issues. Securing the voicemail is generally deemed good. There may not be sufficient other information transmitted on the network to reliably authenticate.

I don't mind grey text if I can read it. But the general problem of designers using text that is unreadable surpisingly still exists. Even worse, they actively use techniques to defeat any attempt by the user of the site to change the readability. I've worked with and had arguments with these tyeps of designers. Getting the perfect look and layout is more important than improved usability. The argument that anybody going through the trouble of increasing their font size can live with a slightly whacked look doesn't wash with them. Nor will they accept the challenge of designing a layout that works under a variety of browsing conditions.

I've also had arguments with our company's intranet manager over the use of Flash. I don't object to Flash. I do object to autoexpanding menus that jump all over the screen forcing me to chase the menu items. It's just plain bad, but he couldn't see why and wrote a 2-page thesis on why Flash was needed by his intranet team.

"Printable" versions geared towards 8.5x11" pages. I live in a country where the standard paper size is "A4" which translates into 8.25x11.75" pages and all text along the right edge is cut off and you are left to guess what those letters are. (it's particularly wicked with PDFs).

My suggestion is to create a standard format for printable documents compatable for all countries which are narrow enough for A4 and short enough for 8.5x11".

I agree with all your rants. As a user who has seen the growth of beauty and 'kewlness' over functionality from both the user and the teacher viewpoints I have been becoming increasingly frustrated with the web experience. I should not have to wait for webpages to load on a 1500 mbs ADSL connection. I used to have a book to read a few years ago on 28.8 dialup and it is nearly back to that now !
I would like to add a pet hate of my own and that is bad Powerpoint presentations-that is about 95% of them. As I tell my students at the university where I lecture,'just because you can add a feature doesn't mean you should'. This very much applies to web design as well. thanks for letting me get that off my chest. Perhaps we should start a new group. Not grumpy old men, but grumpy old web users?

Spot on comments Mark. In reading through other comments from "professionals" out there, all I can say as a user is I agree completely with Mark. Wish more web designers had his perspective. Designer: It's NOT about YOU.

Mark -- Your thoughts today, obviously have provoked a wide array of feedback. To me, everything you said boils down to "simplicity" and "balance."

* When you want to shut off your cell phone -- it should "shut off." Look at the simplicity of TV's remote control: it turns the TV on, off, and turns the channel. We don't expect it to do more or less than what it is intended to do.

* When you are on the run and need to access your cell's vmail -- it should be as simple as you expect and based upon preferences you configure. Remember, Mom still can't change the timeclock on that VCR!

* When you are consuming content on the Web, it should be in a format appropriate for your audience and the subject-matter. Look at the standardized format, effectiveness and proliferation of blogs! It's in a format that is consitent, readable, and easy to "consume", track, and engage in. The most effective blog sites keep the experience consistent and predictable, allowing personal commentary to be the focus.

Effective use (productivity, as you called it) can be pleasing to the eye, creative in delivery, but yet is equally balanced with the intent to provide clear and consistent value; quick and easy access; and fullfillment of expected outcomes.

Great thoughts today! Thanks Mark!

Thanks for the encouragement, everyone!

Mark, great rant. I'd never noticed that cell phone thing; truly ridiculous.

But with regards to usability in web design, how much worse is has it gotten *really?* I remember reading the same basic spiel about usability going down the toilet...5 or 6 years ago in Wired! So while I recognize the need for rants like these (and they're nothing if not entertaining!), a little chilling out may be in order.

5 years after that Wired article and not only is the web still here, it's more usable than ever. The absurd success of the GEL conferences - shoot, the fact that there *are* GEL confernces - is testament to the fact that people are starting to get that UE is tantamount as much as anything.

So let's all take a deep breath and relax. Internet usability is a bull market!

I agree with K. Richardson entirely, the sort of response Mark would expect to get to this article is completely predictable: most readers would totally agree and funny how the only ones who don't are "web designers" who (in my experience) are often guilty of designing websites for their clients, instead of the people they should be designing for: the clients clients.

I'm one of those doing the cell-phones. The various elements of the audio interface are there for a reason. As a comment above says, then annoying stuff like the power on/ off tones may be turned permanently off in the handset settings. The tones serve the purpose of telling the user, that is not looking at the handset while turning it off, that it is actually recieving and reacting to the "turn off keypress". A more discreet version is to just signify this by a brief trembler/ vibrator feedback.

As cell-phones are used in a multitude of contexts, then it is hard to keep everyone happy by a single design. And in this particular case I think the bulk of the problem is with the users, not the device.

The positive/ negative impact on social life of cell-phones has been discussed for years, but as Groucho Marks would have said: "They're here to stay". So, what we could rant about is the sometimes not so considerate contexts of use that owners make of these devices.

man, if that are designer problems, i'm really happy not to be a designer. small font sizes, grey text: it's truly a mad world...

Thanks for this great post Mark. In fact, I've taken some of your suggestions to heart and just redesigned my homepage:
http://unraveled.com

Seriously, the idea that gray, small text and non-underlined links must stop is ignorant of many sites out there that aren't designed for average joe browser. I'm an Information Architect who is very concerned about readability on the web. It's my job. But at the same time, I appreciate that there are plenty of designers out there who don't give a flying rat's butt about readability, and many more users who care even less. All they want is a good experience (isn't that ironic?), which in many cases has absolutely nothing to do with readability or the ability to see links.

Next time you make such sweeping judgements about the web, at least take a moment to say something about the people for whom readability may not apply. The entire web doesn't revolve about readability and never will.

Here's to the difficult to read sites out there that people love!

Additional info about antialiasing customization:
http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/web/library/wa-cranky52.html#N100B6

I agree with most of your comments.

Regarding gray text: yes, I've seen sites where the text is waaaay too light. Couldn't agree more. But, many of the sites I've designed use very dark gray text. Why? Well, unlike paper, the stark contrast of black against white can cause vibrations. I've been in user tests where text that is the slightest bit lighter than black is considered preferable to straight black text, all other factors being equal.

Regarding underlining of links: I agree it has to be completely obvious what is a link and what is not a link. However, underlining is just one way to accomplish this goal. As discussed on other posts on TIB, there are a variety of ways to keep the links evident, without using underlines.

Folks, please stop the finger pointing and generalizing.

Each of us have our strengths and weaknesses, that is why big business sets us up to work in teams to get the job done.

I've met plenty of people with big egos and self-absorption (engineers, designers, account reps, clients) that keep them from considering what will work for their user. I think it is an equal-opportunity disadvantage that is not just a trait of designers.

Signed, Squid sick of designer bashing

AMEN. So many designers design stuff (sites, phones, etc.) as if they're designing it for themselves.

Your comments about text colour and formatting of links are right on.

Blue underlined text might be a bit old school, but any WEB designer who thinks links only need to be apparent when moused over should be sent to a 'Where is Waldo Page' filled with 'hidden-links', where they could be left to find the link leading them to their paycheque.

When something isn't working properly with your computer or any product where do you go for help? TECH SUPPORT!!! (if you can find it!!) I'm in the midst of such a problem right now! I need some help with an issue involving HP and have spent a couple of days searching through their site for the appropriate help areas. That includes live chat with a person who kept asking me to do the same thing over and over, making that feature pretty useless.
In any case, it would be very helpful if web designers would make tech support areas obvious for site visitors to reach. Tech support is to resolve an issue that has frustrated them, not wade through so many "bells and whistles" trying to locate some precious information to fix their problem before they throw the product out the window.
Oh! How about phone numbers for those who are technically challenged???? Some sites have NO WAY of reaching the tech support staff other than through e-mail, IF you're lucky enough to locate that precious page!
Then, if you locate a number, you know you have a wonderfully 'SIMPLE" menu system to wade through to get to a human voice who BEARLY SPEAKS ENGLISH!! (Did someone say how great outsourcing is??!)
Somebody PLEASE open a school to teach the webdesigners how to make it possible to navigate to a desired location in under, ........say 5 minutes!!!! Websites are supposed to assist the visitor in locating information not drive them CRAZY!!!

You may PLEASE remove the soap box now!!!! ;-)

Your comments are right on the money. Practicality and user friendliness should be the first concern.

Be careful Mark, you are starting to sound like cynical Jakob.

argh. i use gray text, especially with disclaimers. i see nothing wrong with it. black on white is too contrasting sometimes and hurts my eyes. a nice dark gray is much better on the eyes.

a big BOO to you. and i use to like you so much... been reading you since 1999. sigh.

You complain about:- Cell phones that make noise when they turn off.
I think the secret is also to read the manual to learn if there's a silent mode..or silent profile. That way, you don't get the dorky tone when you turn the phone on, and you don't get the dorky tone when you turn the phone off.
I must confess that I have almost all the ringtones. The bell telephone ring is tolerable.