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Anti-Web-Design Manifesto (2013)

brandon.invergo.net

51–60 of 87 posts

Re: Anti-Web-Design Manifesto (2013)

#52
post #2

That seems quite excessive and only applicable for web sites that display articles. Amazon without javascript and multi-column pages would be unbearable. Ad-supported content is fine and keeps the web free, as long as ads are sufficiently on-topic and unobtrusive (sponsored posts, light banners à la The Deck, native advertising...). Also, the fact that the page is unreadable without either using a custom CSS or resiz…

Browsing amazon without css seem to be an improvement in Firefox, as Amazon seems to do something in the background that basically chokes the render engine.

Putting this line in my uBlock Origin filters helped a lot:

    ||images-amazon.com$object,domain=amazon.com

Re: Anti-Web-Design Manifesto (2013)

#53
I would love to browse proper internet described in this manifesto. Too bad that noone will listen to it, and many people are forced to disable JS, disable CSS, etc, just to be able to read articles without much annoyance.

Re: Anti-Web-Design Manifesto (2013)

#54
post #16
post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I believe the point was that you probably don't need the user to make an account. If they don't need an account, they have no password, and you need no email address, unless your true goal is to put as many people as possible on your mailing list and spam them.

actually, in the same paragraph he goes on to say: In any case, if a login is required, take the absolute minimum of necessary information, ideally only a login name and a password. maybe better than a login name and password, make it an email address and password. email address seems pretty vital for any kind of future communication

> email address seems pretty vital for any kind of future communication

That's actually a reason many users don't like supplying an e-mail address. They don't want an ongoing relationship with a website, they just want to buy a box of widgets today. What I do in that case is provide a customised e-mail address and then blacklist it after the item arrives.

As for using e-mail address as the account identifier, if you do that please ensure it can be changed everywhere in your system.

I recently moved to a new domain ( cheaper annual renewal ) and whilst Amazon and eBay were painless for changing e-mail address, many other large operators were messy. Tesco, for example, is still sending half of its communications to my old address.

Re: Anti-Web-Design Manifesto (2013)

#56
post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

http://bettermotherfuckingwebsite.com Unsure is it better, should check on more devices/systems/browsers.

I'd say it is better. The first one is very uncomfortable to read in a full-screen/maximized-window browser on a widescreen, and mine is only 1080p. I think it's a great counterexample of the point it's trying to make. Of course is a satire, and the author probably would add a bit of design in a "real" web site.

How much of the difference between those two pages is enshrined in web standards? Are Firefox or Chrome still standards-compliant if they set the default line-height to 1.4? If they bump up the default font-size and change the background colour to a light grey?

I imagine bumping up the margins could be problematic, but I'd say all of the other problems are just browser bugs.

Re: Anti-Web-Design Manifesto (2013)

#57

> With regards to visual design, the fact is that any individual has a far better idea of what constitutes comfortable-to-read text for them than a designer could. A designer either designing for his or her own tastes or trying to find some best-of-all-worlds design will ultimately fail to satisfy the vast majority of visitors to the sit > Designers, it may come as a surprise to you, but not everyone loves your work.…

I think you are judging this on the wrong premise.

It's a manifesto not a lecture it's even an anti-web-design manifesto. I for one appreciate someone trying to establish other perspectives than my own.

Yes we designers know a lot that he doesn't, but a trip to Dribbble will tell you that there are also many of us who are victims of some of the patterns he is trying to establish an opposition against.

Re: Anti-Web-Design Manifesto (2013)

#58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Browsing amazon without css seem to be an improvement in Firefox, as Amazon seems to do something in the background that basically chokes the render engine.

Putting this line in my uBlock Origin filters helped a lot: ||images-amazon.com$object,domain=amazon.com

thanks. It seems to have killed the ability to access larger product images, but at least the site do not freeze the browser now.

Re: Anti-Web-Design Manifesto (2013)

#59

> With regards to visual design, the fact is that any individual has a far better idea of what constitutes comfortable-to-read text for them than a designer could. A designer either designing for his or her own tastes or trying to find some best-of-all-worlds design will ultimately fail to satisfy the vast majority of visitors to the sit > Designers, it may come as a surprise to you, but not everyone loves your work.…

I think you are judging this on the wrong premise. It's a manifesto not a lecture it's even an anti-web-design manifesto. I for one appreciate someone trying to establish other perspectives than my own. Yes we designers know a lot that he doesn't, but a trip to Dribbble will tell you that there are also many of us who are victims of some of the patterns he is trying to establish an opposition against.

> Yes we designers know a lot that he doesn't, but a trip to Dribbble will tell you that there are also many of us who are victims of some of the patterns he is trying to establish an opposition against.

Still, that's a problem with incompetence, not with web design. And Dribbble it's not a good example at all - what's the ratio of pixel-pushers to designers? 10:1? 100:1?

I wouldn't say that it's a problem with "us", since it's clearly a separate group which deserves addressing. There are designers who actually "design" (meaning, they conceive a solution to "someone"), and there are pixel-pushers which mix and mash the latest fads without any particular regard for users and their context (elderly? Here, take flat design! Teens? Flat will do!).

These are two completely distinct objectives: designing vs. doing "something" which looks good. I think the "manifesto" is - or should - be aimed at the latter: gratuitous usage of UI elements/patterns/options. But that's not what design is about, so the "manifesto" is totally misguided and - to be honest - it even becomes ridiculous when the author starts to speak condescendingly to designers (as in the example in my original replies), while being completely oblivious that "design" in itself would imply that any of the options he criticizes were adequately considered (against users and their context).

Re: Anti-Web-Design Manifesto (2013)

#60
All the shitty things we do to websites is to make money. We stuff them full of ads because ads make money. We load 10 megabytes of JS trackers because it helps the ads make money. We paginate articles in order to show more ads, to make money. We add unnecessary columns of social media streams, related articles, and share widgets to trap people in an endless cycle of clicks (to see more ads. To make more money.)
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