The Ugly Sites

The Big Ugly Website: This is a website that earns its name. It has so many of the minor problems from the checklist that I stopped counting. The most notable is the vast array of different colours used in the text. Most of the links are not descriptive which is a classic case of mystery navigation (a mortal sin). In all fairness, the site is intended to be ugly for humor. It does still serve as a good example of what not to do as it would earn a fail if it were being evaluated seriously.

The Big Ugly Website Modest Homeschooling Christian Clothing sewn by a Truly Custom Clothing Sewing Seamstress:
What an earful! The full address for this website is: http://www.modestapparelchristianclothinglydiaofpurpledressescustomsewing.com/. Could you imagine saying that over the phone? While the address does not directly pertain to the design of a website, it is one of the most vital components for bringing people to the site, especially for a business such as this one. As for mortal sins (ironic how so many Christian websites commit these), information overload is a definite candidate. There is simply too much information on the front page.I was able to count at least 5 different text/link-related colours on the front page.

Unicorn Chinese Crested Dogs: I now know more about unicorn Chinese crested dogs then I ever cared to - I now know of them. This site breaks a few of the minor checks such the use of the Comic Sans font on some pages as well as design/colour inconsistencies from page to page. The navigation on the left is way too long and overwhelming - who has time to sift through that many pages? I will give them credit, at least for not cramming all that info on one page like many of the other sites we look at. The main thing to cause this site to receive a failing grade is the use of frames. Frames are a relic from 1990's website design that creates an awkward user experience and grief for search engines.