Week 1: Web Site Review

Week 1: Web sites that suck

So for the first week of my Web Development class, we have been asked to write a post on a website we feel needs improvement. After searching through websitesthatsuck.com (a hilarious site to visit in spare time by the way) I found a website that was particularly horrifying. The link to this website will be included at the bottom of the page so everyone can see just how terrible it is. Here are some things I find so awful about this site, and what I would recommend be improved.

Let's get started. This is the website for the Yakima County Clerk, and it looks like their purpose is to provide information about the local court house in Yakima, Washington. The intended audience would of course be the local folks living in Yakima. Easy enough, right? Unfortunately, not so. These poor people living in Yakima, who want to access information about the Country Clerk. It's important information too, not some fluff that nobody looks at. For example, my eye caught tabs for information on child support, custody matters, adoption and wills. The people trying to find out how to adopt a child or write their will, they just don't know what they are in for.

According to the blocky black text at the top of the page, 'this site is currently under constructions.' First off, that is a bit disconcerting. (As a side note, I didn't even realize construction could be plural word. Think about it, when have you heard of a site being under constructions?) But anyways, what does construction imply for the site itself? Does this mean the site will be constantly changing in layout? So the tab I am used to seeing at the top of the menu will now be in the bottom left corner? Just the fact that the site is 'under constructions' points to how poorly it was put together. But let's look past this. Yakima County Clerk, for whatever reason, chose for their background to be a lovely grayish charcoal color. Coupled with this dreary background are bright tabs of various colors, and a yellow and bright blue text that is extremely obnoxious to read against the gray. This alone makes it hard for any intended audience member to read the site. Not only is the color scheme out of control and rough on the eye, the text itself is scattered all over the page. There seems to be no comprehensible layout organization. There are sporadic links thrown in the middle of paragraphs, and certain words or phrases highlighted that look like links, but really are not. Good luck Yakima citizens.

After the initial shock of the overwhelming color schemes passed, I took some time to explore the menu layout. There are literally tabs on the left, right and top of the page. Any prospective visiter to this site will have their work cut out trying to find any information beyond the homepage. I for one, can confidently say that this site was of no use to me. I would most definitely not encourage others to visit this web site, as it would be a royal waste of time (unless they were simply looking for a good laugh at how ridiculous it is).

Here are some things I would improve concerning Yakima's County Clerk website. First off, the color! What ever happened to a white background, and good old black text. Sometimes, simple is better. Especially to start out. After that, I would change the layout of the text. Instead of random paragraphs and one or two sentences spaced out all over the page, I would group the words into small, not overwhelming, paragraphs of information. I would also put them in boxes to give the sense of organization and containment. Also important, there would be NO NEED TO SCROLL. A homepage should not require scrolling, and if it does, it should be very minimal. The menu should be centered at the top of the page, in an organized fashion. Both the left and the right sides of the screen should be free of clutter, no tabs or links at all. In addition, I would make the title of the webpage much clearer. (Currently it is a dark green on a black background). The menu tabs would be easily identifiable, so less tech-saavy users would still be able to easily access the web site. And there would be no warning that this site is currently under constructions.

These are just some adjustments I would make to improve Yakima County Clerk's web site. To all the locals of Yakima, I extend my condolences. Hopefully the Yakima County Clerk will take a wake up call and make these necessary changes. Until then, good luck!

http://www.yakimacounty.us/clerk/Web04/default.htm