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There are many examples of bad sites on the Internet. We will review
some of the more common errors including:
 | Page
 | Background color - too light/dark, contrast with text |
|
| Text
| selection (styles, san serif is
best) |
| sizing (over/undersized) |
| positioning |
| layout (block, columns) |
| color (too light, too dark, too many) |
|
| Graphics
| Backgrounds (too dark/light, contrast with text, other graphics) |
| Size of image
in proportion to the page, typical browser
configuration |
| File sizes - too big
and/or too many |
| Too many pictures (confusing) |
| File type (jpg v. gif) |
| Alignment with text (too close, labeling) |
|
| Audio/Video
| File size issues
(too big for bandwidth) |
| Format (mpeg, mov, avi, wav, au, etc.)
- may not be installed available on browsers. |
| Browser capabilities |
|
| Plug-ins/ActiveX
| Browser incompatibilities
(ActiveX for IE, plug-ins for Netscape) |
| Browser may not allow installation. |
| User may not understand the
installation/use process. |
|
| Tables
| Too many lines (i.e., too much data, too dense) |
| Default
table layout (double line) format can often cause blurring) |
|
| Frames
| No standards on use, people get confused on which one is where the
business is. |
| Too many (2-3 is enough) |
| Use is confusing (each has a job - menu, title, content) |
| Scroll bars often create confusion |
| Resize is misleading |
|
| StyleSheets
| Incompatibilities between IE and Netscape |
| Older browsers do not work well (or at all) |
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| Browsers
| Browser versions are confusing to people (most do not know what they
have) |
| Netscape v. Internet Explorer differences in how tags are handled,
default modes, etc. (need to test across browsers) |
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| Content Issues
| Target audience not understood (reading level, technical skills to use
computer/web, general understanding of content) |
| Too much content, too little (white space) |
| Navigation (no standards, it must be intuitive--obvious to end user) |
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