People love lists. They never want to read an article about how to actually do anything: They want to read the 10 ways to do it. Or the 5 worst places to be when they’re doing it. Or the 3 most famous people that ever did whatever it is they want to know about doing. Fine. I’ll play along.
Here’s the Top 1 Web Navigation Design Tips: Don’t use Flash for navigation.
See what happened here?
I just wanted to open New Balance’s “Where to Buy” link in a new tab. But what do I get instead? The Flash right-click menu. And it’s not even as though the link does something inside the flash movie: it takes me to an entirely different page on the site! So why can’t I open it in a new tab? Because - and this is me guessing - they really loved moving the words I was trying to click on 5 pixels to the right.
But look: I’m not some anti-Flash curmudgeon! I love Youtube as much as the next guy. Hell, I’ve done my time building Flash sites. Some of the nifty stuff Chad and I were doing 8 years ago still isn’t common practice today. So believe me when I tell you: there’s a time and a place for Flash. This just isn’t it.
So here’s the deal, my designer friends: I’m not buying your shit when you interfere with using the browser the way it’s meant to be used. I’m done putting up with your bogus non-standard navigation. You’ve lost my business. How hard can it be to remember one rule?
July 22nd, 2008 · Category: Web Sites · Tags: browsers, flash, web design · No Comments »
I love Cynthia, I really do, and yes she’s quite a looker, but somehow there’s a part of me that really wants JAWS.
If you care about accessibility, you should too. And I know what you’re thinking. Where am I gonna get nine hundred bucks to drop on software that I don’t need?
Good point. You’re not blind. You can see just fine. That’s part of why you’re so good at the visual part of web design. No kidding, you’re great! I mean it! And if you could tell how your web sites would be voiced by a screen reader, you’d be even better!
So go sign the petition.
August 22nd, 2003 · Category: Technology, Web Sites · Tags: accessibility, cynthia, jaws, petition, web design · Comments Off
Bob Sawyer has started a contest to redesign Jakob Nielsen’s web page. The contest now includes prizes, and is being judged by some serious web design luminaries.
Which is all well and good. But so far the discussion is mostly unprovoked attacks on Jakob himself. His detractors don’t seem to understand that Jakob isn’t a visual designer or that his musings are given with the same gadfly sensibilities that have made other people so popular.
In other words, lay off Jakob. No, he can’t design his way out of a paper bag, but I know I’ve benefitted from his experience. In fact, the one thing I’ve found that people who criticize Jakob have in common is hard-to-use web pages.
August 17th, 2003 · Category: Technology, Web Sites · Tags: bob sawyer, gadfly, jakob nielsen, visual designer, web design, web page · Comments Off