Flashy Websites Annoy Users

Even though this is sort of a no-brainer, SDL Tridion, a web content management firm polled users for their opinion on the most annoying and most frustrating web experience. It may be hard to believe, but pop up ads came at the top of the list, along with "long introductions to web sites that cannot be turned off, the requirement to download new applications to view elements of a page, and a requirement to hand over a lot of personal information just to access company details."

A good example, in my mind, would be a promotional site for a cell phone. Sprint’s page for the Samsung Instinct, and RIM’s page for the BlackBerry Bold are both Flash based, but offer little in the ways of actual information or content. Yeah, I want to know the specs on the newest phone, but do I really have to sit for the transitions on the Flash

I’m curious, however, to what exactly denotes "clean" web design. Clearly, users prefer style with substance, but the actual science behind good web design can be the difference of making a good first impression or keeping a customer, or reader in our case. There are studies and principle on the case, but design is subjective in a lot of ways.

Web content management firm SDL Tridion has released the results of its research into what elements of web site design most turn off internet users, coming in top is pop up advertising. Seventy-eight percents of respondents said that this type of advertising was the most frustrating web experience, complaining that ads appeared at inappropriate times and were difficult to get rid off.