Random Thoughts From Marybeth

And the Winners (?) Are...

Web Pages That Suck, the Worst of 2005

Since I spend a lot of my time reviewing sites for JoeAnt, I have seen some sites that have excellent design and some pretty poorly designed sites (most fall somewhere in between). Many of the award winners are typical of sites that annoy me most.

Sites with poor navigation are among the worst offenders. I spend a lot of time online and have done so for years. If I have to search around to figure out how to find what I want on a site, how well would someone new to the Internet do?

I think that some site designers (or their clients) forget about the potential visitors to the site. Not everyone has broadband and those of us who do may not want to sit through a Flash opening. Even without Flash, some sites seem more set up to show all the designers skills and knowledge of various new techniques than they are for providing content.

While I don't like sites that force me to listen to their choice of music (or turn off my speakers), the site that is a leading contender for the 2006 awards does just that and is a "must visit" just for the humor of it. Unfortunately, it's not intended to be funny. The site is The Association of International Glaucoma Societies. Glaucoma is a serious disability, nothing funny about it at all. But the site has a song!

Glaucoma, Glaucoma, Glaucoma Constricting vision slowly Halted by progress of science Vision of a world united Beyond all science knowing

Between their "Glaucoma Hymn" and the bobbing heads in the upper left corner, I couldn't help laughing. The fun doesn't stop there though. If you click on the words "Glaucoma Hymn" at the lower left of the page (also making it a potential nominee for obscure navigation) you can change the music to Chopin, Callas, or Elvis Presley's Suspicious Minds.