Web Bloopers Checklist
(PDF version of this document)
Print out to use to evaluate websites and web applications.
Every blooper in the book is listed here and described briefly. Each blooper has a place to indicate whether your website has that blooper, and if so, where.
Suggestions on how this checklist can be made more useful are welcomed in the Discussion Forum.
Project:_________________________ Version:___________ Review Date:__________
Chapter 1 Content Bloopers
- Home page identity crisis. Home page doesnt clearly identify organization or its purpose.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
- Confusing classifications. Content categories seem arbitrary or nonsensical.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
- Unhelpful descriptions. Content descriptions do not support choosing among items.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
- Conflicting content. Information in different parts of site disagrees.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
- Outdated content. Content on site is out-of-date, but not clearly marked as archival.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
- Missing or useless content. Information users need to accomplish goals is missing.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
- Unfinished content. Blatantly incomplete areas of site.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
Chapter 2 Task-Support Bloopers
- Redundant requests. Asking users for the same data repeatedly.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
- Requiring unneeded data. Making users provide non-essential information.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
- Pointless choice. Offering or requiring meaningless choices.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
- Omitting important options. Choice excludes options some users need.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
- Clueless back-end. Back-end lacks "common sense" data needed to support user tasks.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
- Dead-end path: Now you tell me! Allowing users to go down a path towards a goal before telling them it is unavailable.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
- Agonizing task-flow. Accomplishing tasks requires many unnecessary, distracting steps.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
Chapter 3 Navigation Bloopers
- Site reflects organization chart. Site structure reflects organizations structure or history.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
- Numerous navigation schemes. Many ways to navigate, but no clear guidance.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
- Deceptive duplicate links. Making users think: "Do those go to the same place?".
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
- Not linking directly. Specific-looking links that go to generic pages or home pages.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
- Lost in space: Current page not indicated. Page doesnt clearly show where user is.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
- The circle game: Active link to here. Page has active link to itself.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
- Missing links: Its BACK or nothing. Page provides no navigation links.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
Chapter 4 Form Bloopers
- Making people type. Using a text field for a choice setting.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
- Intolerant data fields. Text field is too picky about how data must be typed.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
- No defaults. Controls and form fields with no default value.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
- Faulty defaults. Controls and form fields with the wrong default value.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
- Compulsory clicking: No default text input focus. Users cant just start typing.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
- Lame label placement. Labels mis-aligned with, or too far from, data fields.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
- Checkboxes or radiobuttons? Checkboxes misused as radiobuttons, or vice-versa.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
- Looks editable but isnt. Using standard data-input controls for display-only data.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
- Mysterious controls. Operation of controls is unclear due to poor labeling, poor layout, or uniqueness of controls.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
Chapter 5 Search Bloopers
- Baffling search controls. Search options require knowledge of computer or industry-insider concepts.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
- Dueling search controls. Competing search boxes on page, with no guidance.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
- Hits look alike. List of found items cannot be easily distinguished by scanning.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
- Duplicate hits. List of found items contains duplicates.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
- Search myopia: Missing relevant items. Items that should be found are not.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
- Needle in a haystack: Piles of irrelevant hits. Many items dont match search criteria.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
- Hits sorted uselessly. Sort-order of found items doesnt support user tasks.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
- Crazy search behavior. Modifying search criteria yields unexpected results.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
- Search-terms not shown. Not showing what search terms produced these results.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
- Number of hits not revealed. Not showing how many items were found.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
Chapter 6 Text & Writing Bloopers
- Too much text. Overly-verbose instructions, messages, or link-labels.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
- Speaking Geek. Computer jargon in error messages, commands, or instructions.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
- Calling site visitors "user" . Using the computer jargon term "user" on a website.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
- Insider jargon. Using the vocabulary of industry experts, rather than that of users.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
- Variable vocabulary: Different words for the same thing. Inconsistent terms.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
- Inconsistent style. Text on site does not follow consistent style rules.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
- Typos and grammos: Sloppy writing. Failing to check and fix text before going live.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
Chapter 7 Link Appearance Bloopers
- Links dont look like links. Links not marked well enough, so users miss them.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
- Non-links look like links. Non-link text is underlined; or non-link graphics look clickable.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
- Bizarre buttons: Click target smaller than it seems. Entire boxed area surrounding link label looks like part of button, but only label accepts clicks.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
- Wrapped links: How many? Multi-line text links.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
- "Click here": Burying links in text. Important navigation links embedded in prose.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
- Been there, done that? Cant tell. Traversed links not clearly marked.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
Chapter 8 Graphic Design & Layout Bloopers
- Tiny text. Text typeface too small for many users to read.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
- Camouflaged text. Text contrasts poorly with background.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
- Centering everything. Centering prose text, bullet items, controls, or data fields.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
- Unobtrusive error messages. Error messages easy to miss due to poor placement.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
- Shades of beige: color differences too subtle. Relying on small color differences to convey important meaning.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
- Dead or Alive? Active buttons look inactive. Buttons appear "grayed out" but arent.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
- Terrible tabs. Navigation tabs dont look and act enough like real tabs.
Occurs:____________________________________________________________
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