OT: Poor Web Design

[D . Thomas Podnar]

On Tue, Feb 14, 2006 at 09:23:35AM -0500, Kenneth Brody wrote:
> Quoting D . Thomas Podnar (Mon, 13 Feb 2006 21:02:34 -0500):
> [...]
> > > To this day, you still can't use staples.com without cookies enabled.
> > > In fact, it's gotten worse.  It used to be that you couldn't search
> > > the website without cookies.  Now, you can't even get to the main
> > > page.
> >
> > So? Cookies aren't all bad. Some are quite useful. And a web designer
> > at Staples thought he/she could provide the best possible customer
> > experience by using them. He/she obviously doesn't remember when
> > browsers had poor cookie management.
> 
> I have to disagree here.  To require cookies in order to customize
> some things, and remember the user's preferences is one thing.  To
> require them for a shopping cart is fine.  To require them to simply
> view anything is just plain "bad".  If I were to allow cookies, what
> preferences/customization would I originally see?  Why can't it
> default to that if the cookies aren't set?  (And, although I can
> understand session cookies to do searches on the website, their
> earlier design required never-expiring cookies in order to search.  I
> have no idea what their design requires now, since I chose not to
> accept Staples' cookies yesterday.)

See, that's the beauty of it. We CAN disagree and it is OK ;-).

I have my browser cookie security set on medium and so I don't see
cookie warnings except the really, really bad kind. But I don't care.
I can even go to the privacy section of their web site because I'm
willing to accept their cookie. I don't LIKE that they are tracking
my visit, but it is a price I'm willing to pay. I'm not oblivious
to the fact that they are using a third party for tracking. I'm just
Ok with it. I know how to delete cookies, and I mean REALLY delete them,
when I'm so inclined.

> > > I've seen web sites where the main page contains a single SWF file,
> > > without any links to other pages should ShockWave not be loaded.  (Or
> > > those that contain a huge SWF file with no "skip intro" type link,
> > > requiring the entire file be loaded before you can continue.)
> >
> > While I personally wouldn't do that, I can think of sites where that is
> > a good idea, just as I can think of sites where that is a BAD idea but
> > is done anyway.
> 
> Well, if it's going to require Flash, at least have the main page say
> so, rather than be completely blank with no hint as to why.  (Yes, I
> can "view/source" and see the HTML code which would have loaded the
> Flash plugin, but how many other people would do that and understand
> what they're seeing?)

I don't disagree.

> --
> KenBrody at BestWeb dot net        spamtrap: <g8ymh8uf001 at sneakemail.com>
> http://www.hvcomputer.com
> http://www.fileProPlus.com
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-- 
Tom
  D. Thomas Podnar
  Microlite Corporation
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