Biggest Mistakes in Web Design By Vincent Flanders

1. The reading relate to the concept of user-focused design that we have discussed in class because every important points Vincent Flanders involves the needs of the website viewers. For instance, Vincent explains that "Nobody cares about you and you web site", people only visit the website because they need information, need to make a donation, need entertainment and need too be part of the community. The concept of user-focused design often lead to bad web site designs or what the author call it, websites that suck. There are too many website designers that misuse flash, graphics, and JavaScript. People put unnecessary applications that make the readers confused and lost. The idea of concept of user focused design is very much similar to Norman's everyday things because the major point is that designers are too focused on themselves and not focused on the common people's needs.

2. There are many points in the article that I found important. For example, the less than four second rule states that it should only take the reader 4 seconds to figure you whole web site layout and how to use it. If they are still trying to figure it out after 4 seconds, then your web site is failure. Another point is having good navigation on the site. Navigation should be simple and easy to be seen and used on the web page. There should not be broken links or no links back to the homepage. The point I felt most important was whether or not the site has heroin content. As Flanders explained, if the site has addicting contents, it does not matter how bad the design is because people will see visit the site.

3. My list of design factors for a webpage would be Content, Visual Attractiveness, and Organization. The website's content serves the whole purpose of the site. It is ham in the hamburger. If the content is not good enough, everything else fails. The visual design or visceral should be important because the first thing that comes to the reader's mind when they enter the site is whether the site looks nice. Finally, the web page should be organized. The navigation keys should be easy to find and easy to access. The site's text can be readed and the background is not too flashy. An organized site allows the reader to figure out how to use the site within 4 seconds.