Ho, Ho, Ho!

Alright, I just couldn't let this one last thing slide about this crazy website. I can only guess that you are wondering what my last point would be. Honestly, one could go on forever about this site. The one thing left to point out is the little waving Santa. Didn't see it? Well, I think it is about time that we play a "Where is Waldo" type of game with the Santa.

Obviously, the Santa was put in for the holiday season. Its placement is just as odd as any other product placement on the page. One might wonder why it is not larger or maybe even why it is not placed closer to the top of the page with some season's greeting. The more I begin to over-think this Santa the more I remember the main point of this site. Chaos.

If you can find the product you are looking for then I guess you might even be able to find the random Santa. Holiday shopping really is like a game of hide and seek. You spend weeks and weeks looking for that perfect present hidden amongst all the other lack-luster gifts. All I can say is good luck with your holiday shopping no matter what site you shop from!

One I Would Of Never Thought Of!

I was having coffee with a friend and they mentioned that they thought this one particular site was the most ugly thing out there. It was plain, it was crowded, and it was overfilled with links and text. The site they were talking about... Craigslist!

Now, I would of never thought to share that with you, but I guess it is true! Every page on the Craigslist site is plain and white. The only color comes through the hundreds of links that are jammed packed onto the screen. And, what do these links do? Nothing, but take you to other links! The site is filled with information everywhere you look. Maybe that is why people never question the design. Its sole purpose is to share information.

I guess the lesson is that some of the sites we visit everyday are not the best or most interesting things to look at. Maybe we just get used to visiting some places that we don't even question the design or why it is not that easy to navigate through. Oh, well! I guess this is why we should always ask for other people's opinions!

Odd, Weird, and Bizarre!

A friend sent me this link and I thought it was interesting enough to share. Alright, there is a lot to take in on this site, so I will list some of the things I dislike the most.

• Um... the fact that there are so many products all over this page. I am not even sure what I am looking at. If there is a brick-and-mortar location for this business I would be afraid to walk in. Clutter! Clutter! Clutter!
• If you can take the time to check out all the products, they are so random! A robot dinosaur and a build your own helicopter. What? Sexy girl shape what?
• One of the things I hate the most is text over text. And, it is ALL OVER this site! Even if you took the time to read what this business has to offer you will eventually end up with a text over text situation that leaves you confused.
• What is with the random yellow strip down the page? Odd.

I guess I only have one more question... who is visiting this page and who in the world is shopping there?

Images

So, you had a chance to see the list and now are you ready for me to add yet another point? Are ya?! I can't stand coming across a website with blurry and/or pixelated images. I hate it!

No... I am not talking about the cool graphic art form in which graphic designers pixelate some images to make them into interesting works of art. I actually really like that! I am talking about the blurry, odd looking images the people post from old outdated cameras and/or extremely bad photography. Maybe people are taking these bad images with their outdated camera phones? I am really curious to find out where these are coming from.

The lesson here is spend some money on decent photography. Why would you build a site and spend money on a designer and not supply that designer with decent images? It makes no sense. I am definitely ready to add that one to my list. Bad photography... ugh. It can't help your website, it can only destroy it.

If you come across any samples of this point you would like to share, please do!

My List Is Growing!

So, we have found so many horrific sites to share, but I thought it would be good to take a second and recap some of the points we dislike thus far. I am sure there are more to come so pay attention to the first, original list!

The Color Theory: More is Better Ah, hate to be the one to break this to you, but it is not. Professional web designers spend hours choosing the appropriate colors to use in moderation. The key here is moderation!

Can You Add Anything Else? Have you ever found a site and you don’t know how they fit all this information on one page? Just like color, content should be clean and simple.

What Am I Looking At? Have you found a site where the text actually sits on top of other text? How are you suppose to read the site never mind understand what you are looking at?

All of This Moving is Burning My Eyes Alright, Flash is cool, but in moderation. You might want to catch our attention, but Flash animations rotating around eight or more spots on the page can burn our retinas and make us nauseous.

Links How many links should really be on a page? I guess this point might be debatable, but we have all seen an excess of links that makes a site just horrible to visit.

Horrible Music Honestly, this is one of my favorites. You might stumble upon a beautifully designed site and forget to turn your speakers down. Before you know it, horrible music is pumping from your speakers all throughout your office catching everyone's attention. Ugh.

What Have You Seen?

Alright, I think I have waited long enough. I have tried not to ask and I have tried to pretend that I am not anxious to hear what you have found or what you have seen, but I do not think I can wait any longer. TELL ME WHAT UGLY SITES YOU HAVE FOUND!!!!! I mean it, TELL ME!!

On a daily basis I have a friend or two emailing me links to some of the most ugly, horrific, nauseating sites out there. They make me blink, cry, and wonder who in the world is spending their precious time building them. I guess even more important who is spending their time visiting them! I LOVE that they send me these links, but I am wondering what my readers (in addition to my friends) have to say about things they have seen and sites they have visited.

See, the thing is that I feel I can share countless design flaws that I hate and design flaws that make a site horrible, but I really want to know if you all agree or like these horrific sites. Stop being afraid and realize that it is time to share! I can't be alone in my thought. Time to SHARE!!!