Benjamin Barlow

1) Textural Clutter

It takes some talent to create these websites. That’s why it’s the most disliked web design trend. It is distracting, there is no other way to put it.

2) Parallax Scrolling

When used to subtly compliment content or to tell a story, parallax scrolling can be amazing. When it is gimmicky, which it almost always is, then it is just too much.

3) Picture/Content Scroller

That homepage scroller that is overused can be pulled off successfully (think ESPN), but is it always necessary? There are simpler ways to accomplish the same goal that emphasizes good design trends (more whitespace, content is king, etc…), so there is no reason to utilize something when more efficient means are available.

4) Endless Vertical Scrolling

Like the parallax scrolling sites, there needs to be a story to tell for me to be a fan. More often than not, there isn’t. Think about some where they have three circular flat graphics laid out in a row that takes up 500 vertical pixels. They have a simple phrase of the same height… and it keeps going. Sure, it the relevant content keeps going, then let the scrolling go, but when half of the vertical height is fluff, then there needs to be cuts.

5) Loading Screens

There has to be a study that shows 80% of people close a page the instant they see “loading” or a loading graphic. If your page is that big that it needs to load right off the bat, then it is a symptom of an overall website that is too big and navigating between pages will likely take much longer than needed. This is simply a time-waster in a world where convenience is key.

6) InterPage Popups

People don’t like it when there are new window popups. What makes same window popups any different?