Everybody I've talked to feels that faded overlays (#5 on this list) are super annoying from a user experience perspective. And I agree. Everybody I've talked to says their data shows faded overlays are VERY effective at increasing email subscriber signups. And I agree based on my data. Weird, isn't it? Heh.
If the average user was sparked to initiative by their annoyance, we wouldn't have the DMV.
So, so true.