When web sites annoy

Chapter four states that although poor page designs cause annoyance to users, it is not a direct cause of a user’s failure on a web site. This chapter was very interesting because I agreed with the point that poor page designs that cause annoyance eventually leads to a user’s dissatisfaction with the site, thus leading to his reluctance to visit the site in the future. Personally, I rarely return to a web site that I find annoying or hard to navigate. There are just too many web sites out there that provide the same services.

Although it is important to focus on major usability problems, minor problems become just as important when there is enough of them to deter a user from a site. For example, if I visited a web site that had small font that was hard to read, links that do not change color when clicked and constant pop up windows, I would try my best to avoid that particular site in the future. Yes, it may be true that I could find what I need from that site, but it would probably take me a lot longer than being on a site that had none of these issues. Why would I want to put myself through all that when I can have a happier experience somewhere else? This is why I think designers should pay as much attention to the little problems as they do to the big ones. There is no doubt that experienced users will eventually get through little annoyances, but enough of them will discourage users from returning.