Top Ten Mistakes in Web Design

It is interesting to think of how, 10 years ago, using the Internet was a novelty. I remember how most people were saying that people just wouldn't buy anything on the Net. I first heard of Amazon.com by means of a radio interview of Jeff Bezos, and him talking about people's reluctance to use their credit cards on the Internet. Now Amazon.com is a household name and people are VERY comfortable using their credit cards online.

My point is that, in fact, we are emerging out of the horse and buggy stage, or maybe we're still in it, with respect to the Internet and it's usability. We have a very short time studying how people navigate around, clicking, scanning, and reading the web.

Jakob Nielsen has made a name for himself as the master of usability. Every year he releases his "Top Ten Mistakes..." and I find them quite enlightening. There are some great links in the article as well.

Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox:
Top Ten Mistakes in Web Design

Summary:
The ten most egregious offenses against users. Web design disasters and HTML horrors are legion, though many usability atrocities are less common than they used to be.

Since my first attempt in 1996, I have compiled many top-10 lists of the biggest mistakes in Web design. See links to all these lists at the bottom of this article. This article presents the highlights: the very worst mistakes of Web design. (Updated 2007.)