Live data from Hacker News

Beginner Web Design Mistakes

blog.teamtreehouse.com

1–10 of 43 posts

Re: Beginner Web Design Mistakes

#2
A 'sign up for our newsletter' modal pop-up when the user first arrives on a website is not a 'beginner web design mistake' for one simple reason that even websites made by beginners can't ignore: They really work. People sign up in droves. Many people have tested it. It's annoying as hell, but the fact is beginner website designers should learn to make effective websites that work for businesses, not just pretty ones.

Re: Beginner Web Design Mistakes

#3
post #2

A 'sign up for our newsletter' modal pop-up when the user first arrives on a website is not a 'beginner web design mistake' for one simple reason that even websites made by beginners can't ignore: They really work. People sign up in droves. Many people have tested it. It's annoying as hell, but the fact is beginner website designers should learn to make effective websites that work for businesses, not just pretty one…

This comment needs an asterisk that I'm going to provide.

* Your results may vary. Actual numbers largely depend on how the popup is implemented (when it shows up, how often it shows up, etc). And even in the cases where you get increased sign ups, studies have shown that those who sign up via a popup have considerably lower engagement metrics, indicating that they signed up by mistake or they signed up because they thought they had to (note that a sign up, in-and-of itself is just a vanity metric with no meaning if it doesn't lead to increased engagement).

Re: Beginner Web Design Mistakes

#4
post #2

A 'sign up for our newsletter' modal pop-up when the user first arrives on a website is not a 'beginner web design mistake' for one simple reason that even websites made by beginners can't ignore: They really work. People sign up in droves. Many people have tested it. It's annoying as hell, but the fact is beginner website designers should learn to make effective websites that work for businesses, not just pretty one…

They work on clueless and naive people.

If that's the audience you're after, cool.

Re: Beginner Web Design Mistakes

#5
post #2

A 'sign up for our newsletter' modal pop-up when the user first arrives on a website is not a 'beginner web design mistake' for one simple reason that even websites made by beginners can't ignore: They really work. People sign up in droves. Many people have tested it. It's annoying as hell, but the fact is beginner website designers should learn to make effective websites that work for businesses, not just pretty one…

A related blog post - http://socialtriggers.com/annoying-popups/

Re: Beginner Web Design Mistakes

#6
post #2

A 'sign up for our newsletter' modal pop-up when the user first arrives on a website is not a 'beginner web design mistake' for one simple reason that even websites made by beginners can't ignore: They really work. People sign up in droves. Many people have tested it. It's annoying as hell, but the fact is beginner website designers should learn to make effective websites that work for businesses, not just pretty one…

They work on clueless and naive people. If that's the audience you're after, cool.

That audience is some huge percentage of the internet userbase, because some huge percentage of people are "clueless and naive." So people who want to just make money off a widely read website would do well to do what works. Just like how in the mobile gaming space irritating pay-to-play/in-app-purchase driven "games" are the money makers, and people who make games in order to make a lot of money should probably make a game like that.

Re: Beginner Web Design Mistakes

#8
Definitely +1 for both "Thinking Too Far Outside the Box" and "Mysterious and Complex Navigation." I experience way too much of each on a regular basis. A message I try to drill home is "people don't come to websites to be wowed, they come to either learn about something or buy something."

Re: Beginner Web Design Mistakes

#9
post #2

A 'sign up for our newsletter' modal pop-up when the user first arrives on a website is not a 'beginner web design mistake' for one simple reason that even websites made by beginners can't ignore: They really work. People sign up in droves. Many people have tested it. It's annoying as hell, but the fact is beginner website designers should learn to make effective websites that work for businesses, not just pretty one…

Ayup. And it's also a great flag that your content likely sucks, and I really don't want to examine your site.

Seriously, if I get a modal popup, that is the last time I go to a site. If I happen to get one twice, the site goes into the blocklist.

Post reply on HN