Customer Reviews

Son of Web Pages That Suck: Learn Good Design by Looking at Bad Design

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Ok all I can say is wow. This man uses insults (accurately) to get the job done. I found myself wanting to redo things on my site and other sites I design just so he wouldn't find it and use it as a bad example. Good God. He is RIGHT ON on a lot of that stuff.

I disagreed him with him when it came to Flash. He thinks Flash is unnecessary, which it is in certain circumstances... but... he failed to mention adult sites which really use the art of visualization for the ultimate sale, which is what he discusses - that websites should be about bringing in money. Other than that and his not-so-secret hate for splash pages (although again, he failed to mention that some sites actually REQUIRE them by law)... I agreed with him on everything else in the book.

He gets into the Do's and Don'ts and really blasts the sites that use tacky animated Gifs on clashing backgrounds, unclean and unfocused sites, sites that don't use alt tags on images, and it really covers a whole lot of things that are just plain wrong. Way wrong.

He even got into a subject about never including text that says 'Click Here' and at first I scratched by head and thought - but why not?? And he showed some examples of it done right, and examples of how bad and tacky it can look when it is used wrong. I immediately got inspired and got rid of all of my 'Click here' text and sure enough, the results looked much more professional.

I have at least 20 high-maintenance business sites I constantly work on, and that being said - I am constantly feeling pretty positive about the work that I do. He doesn't care how good you think you are. He will be brutal. And it's about time someone steps forward to say it.

'A webmasters job is never complete' is an accurate statement.

He doesn't just give negative criticism... he offers good advice and solutions that are doable and just require effort and a sense of direction.

The bottom line: If you get aggravated with what he says, you can close the book and reopen it when you're ready for brutal honesty.

Vincent Flanders' new "Son of Web Pages That Suck" is the sequel to his best-selling book "Web Pages That Suck." WPTS arose from the site he founded by the same name in 1996, WebPagesThatSuck.com. It seems that WYSIWYG editors have just made it easier for designers to create bad web sites faster, so Flanders felt a second book was needed.

Flanders takes a different approach to teaching usability than the likes of Nielsen and Norman. Through over the top humor and outrageous examples of bad web design he manages to teach good design while keeping us entertained. Flanders uses humor as a teaching aid because he's found that that people tend to learn better when they are entertained.

You'll find yourself laughing as you read this book. The book is peppered with full-color pictures of Flanders and friends in various getups: a devil, an angel, a mechanic, a flasher, and even in the tub ("Splish Splash Pages" chapter). It's all in good fun, as Flanders doesn't take himself too seriously. He makes his points without condescension. He even uses Johnny Cochran-like sayings to illustrate his points:

"If the Bits Don't Flow, People Will Go."
"The Top's Gotta Pop or They're Not Gonna Stop."

The author is a marketing showman, using carnival-like PR:

TREMBLE at the horror that is Mystery Meat Navigation
RUN SCREAMING from splishy splashy Flashy pages...

The book is a hybrid design and usability book aimed at beginning to intermediate designers. The book teaches good design practices through bad mistakes with scathing commentary on numerous really bad web sites. Through his web site's "Daily Sucker" and thousands of email suggestions Flanders has plenty of material to choose from.

The actual advice is common sense stuff that advanced users will already know like keeping text contrast high and file sizes low. However, even after years of preaching the gospel, usability experts are finding web designers repeating the same mistakes over and over again. Flanders shows what not to do, and offers suggestions on how to do it right.

Web design is about working within limitations. Unless you have what Flanders calls "heroin content," make your pages fast loading, easy to navigate, easy to read, and minimize extraneous features. He gives useful pointers throughout the book for graphics optimizers, validators, browser simulators, and includes a CD chock full of useful utilities to shrink and shape up your pages.

Flanders likes to say, somewhat tongue in cheek, that this book is for everybody. It is not quite in that category, but it will have a broader appeal than most web design books with its splashy graphics, non-technical approach, and Flanders' trademark humor. Some college professors have even adopted his book for their Web design courses because it doesn't put their students to sleep. Highly recommended.

Having thoroughly enjoyed the original "Web Pages That Suck", I was quick to buy this sequel. If you haven't read either book yet, just buy the "Son of" sequel, because it is mostly a needed update of the original. It covers the same concepts in the same hilarious style, but is more current with regard to the latest bad design techniques and the current browsers, plug-ins and so forth that are now in use. A very entertaining book, even if you never intend to author a web page.

SON OF WEB PAGES THAT SUCK
AUTHOR: Vincent Flanders with Dean Peters and a Cast of Hundreds
PUBLISHER: Sybex
REVIEWED BY: Barbara Rhoades

BOOK REVIEW: Sometimes looking at something bad can help you see what a web page should look like. You immediately begin to say, I would NEVER do that on a web site. This begins the creative thought process that, in turn, helps you design a web site everyone will be able to navigate and enjoy.

The first thing you should do after purchasing Son of Web Pages That Suck is check out the CD that is included. It contains over a dozen programs that can help the web designer to create better pages. A few of the programs that you might want to try are Snag It (captures anything you see on the Windows Desktop), Top Style Pro (checks for cross-browser problems as you work), Color Schemer (helps create color themes) and Screen Ruler (a virtual ruler that you can drag around the screen). These are trial programs and can be purchased for permanent use.

There is a section called Two Minute Offense. This is an exercise designed to getting you thinking in two minutes of all the problems that show on the web page displayed in that section. There are other side bars to help you learn also such as Sucks Not and Sucks a Lot. Both titles are self-explanatory. Dont forget to check out the What Did You Learn at the end of each chapter. This section will review what went on in the chapter and gives you a chance to be sure you saw everything in that chapter.

Remember that wonderful font you found and always wanted to use? Probably on a web page is not the place for it. And be careful of color. Too much color in the same line of text can be a problem. These are only a few of the problems that Son of Web Pages That Suck points out. It is a book you will be hard pressed to not wear it out as its pages contain so much information you will want to read it many times.

Book - Son of Web Pages That Suck: Learn Good Design by Looking at Bad
Design
By Vincent Flanders with Dean Peters
Publisher - Sybex
List [...]>ISBN: 0-7821-4020-3
Rating - 5 out 5

Son of Web Pages That Suck is the follow up to the very successful book Web Pages That Suck by Vincent Flanders. The book consists of 279 pages, broken down into 14 chapters. The book also comes with a CD containing links to the websites listed throughout the book. Son of Web Pages That Suck is my first book on web design and will probably be the only one in my library for quite some time (until Daughter of Web Pages That Suck comes out). As the title suggests, Son of Web Pages That Suck teaches good web design by having the reader look at examples of bad web design. Throughout the book, Flanders explains why a web page does or does not suck.

The book's best quality lies in the very humorous and understandable way it's written. This is one computer book that isn't going to put you to sleep or bore you to death. One of the key points the author stresses throughout the book is "web design is not about art, it's about making money." Each chapter begins with a short introduction explaining what's going to be covered in the preceding chapter and ends with a summary covering the key points discussed in that chapter. One of the not-so obvious things Flanders covers is that you can make a web page that sucks without using tons of flashy graphics or other crazy design elements. Thankfully, he also discusses how to avoid making these same mistakes. Some of the more obvious web design topics Flanders covers include things like appropriate page and image size, how to stay on the right side of copyright law, professionalism, and why things like splash pages and "Welcome to my page" lines are bad. Another important point Flanders discusses is that while a certain theme or design might make one web page suck, it may make another rock-- depending on the target audience .If you've ever visited a Flash intensive website on a dial up connection, you'll appreciate Flanders chapter "Jumpin' Jack Flash."

I could continue to talk about all the great topics Flanders covers in his book Son of Web Pages That Suck, but that would take far too much space for a book review. I highly recommend that you go and buy the book and read it for yourself. I give Son of Web Pages That Suck a highly deserved 5 out of 5 rating.

In "Son of Web Pages That Such" Vincent Flanders provides a much needed sequel to "Web Pages that Suck". Why the sequel? Well actually two reasons. First is that new techniques have been developed and new software designed that allows the web page designer to do things that were not possible when the first book was written. Second, is that you just can't anticipate all the possible ways that someone will create new and attrocious web pages. It seems that so many web pages are created by putting as much technology as possible onto the page without any concern for the user and how they might use the page. However, just because you can is no reason to add a particular item or effect to your web page. I can stick my finger in my eye, but that doesn't mean that I should. Still, that seems to be the most common design technique around, put as many things and special effects as possible onto the page until it becomes impossible to actually use.

Sound like a problem of the man web sites put up by amateurs? Sure, but it is also a problem of multi-billion dollar companies. I know of two colleges that point to the web sites of at least three multi-million dollar companies as examples of the worst web pages on the web. So, how do you make your web site an exception to the rule? The first place to start is with this book. By examining many, many web pages with terrible design problems you learn what to look for, what is appropriate, and what is not. Mr. Flanders even shows that there are exceptions to every rule and when some techniques might be appropriate for a particular site that are not appropriate for others.

If you want a useable web site that keeps people coming back and is a joy to use, then you must start with this book. If you want to know what things aggrevate the user and cause them not to return to your site, then start with this book. It's not about what you can do on a web site, but what you should do to reach and keep your intended audience. Developing a good web site starts with good, useable design and good useable design starts here. A must read for anyone interested in web design.

SOWPTS is entertaining but never enough so the core principle gets lost - "Don't do anything that gets in the way of the sale". How easy this point is missed, even by professional web designers and in-house artists.

The essence: the most valuable aid in designing sites that appeal to your audience is first understanding what turns them off. Turn-offs are a dreary subject, yes, but Flanders excels here. He should know, running a site like "Web Pages That Suck" for a half-decade. You should tap into his knowledge.

Web design is new compared to other media, and the rules still aren't clear. "I want 12 point Garamond!" doesn't fly on the pop-star-of-the-month's site, while perfect for a "Mumble, Stumble, and Fumble at Law" site. Or maybe not so perfect - see Chapter 11 on Text (and fonts).

Understanding the people you're trying to sell is crucial - Flanders provides solid research on things like platforms/browsers, and links that will guide you long after the book is published.

This book should be the first thing you should read, either if you're on your first web project, or an experienced designer who's facing a client/employer about to make serious mistakes. You know, the CEO who insists on putting his face on the home page of your company that makes ball bearings for the lawn-mower industry. But on a site for the (unnamed) pop star mentioned above - not putting a face on the home page is death - and Flash is nearly expected. Flanders understands all this, and doesn't dismiss any technique - until you "get in the way of the sale."

The CD-ROM with the book ain't bad, but there is better. I vastly prefer WS_FTP to Voyager, but my company buys me tools that best several packages on the CD. For a price, of course. But the CD is a good starting place.

Put it on your bookshelf (or better, your hands) today. Let your competition wind up on the "Daily Sucker" at WPTS rather than you.

"Son of WPTS" arrived from Amazon last week, and I still have not had the chance to finish reading it myself. My employees are fighting over it on their lunch breaks. Often, I will hear a loud laugh from the other room. So, I get up from my desk to find one or more people reading, and laughing at something they just read in this book. It is very satisfying for me as an employer to see my employees improving their skills with this book on their own time, and fighting for the opportunity to do so. Until this book came out I could not get them to research and study enough. "Son of WPTS" provides entertaining and educational information for me and my staff.

Working with Vincent on the Bleeding Edge chapter (14) of this book was only half the fun. His wit and personality make learning an otherwise technically dreary subject, such as web design, especially after the dot.com bust ... well, it puts some of the fun back into the process.

Granted, as a programmer-geek-type myself, I would have hoped for page after page of code ... then again, I like regular expressions. No, this book isn't going to give you too many gory details specific to a particular language or tool, rather it gives you very good designer/management-level theology that is applicable whether you are shooting your foot off with DreamWeaver or ... no ... I can't bear to say it ... but with my last breath I'll break my own law and say it ... FRONTPAGE, FrontPage, frontpageeeeaaaggghgughg ...

This book is written in a manner that makes students laugh and want to continue reading. I use it as a class reference book but had to order more as it was regularly checked out. Students use Flanders site along with the Cool Site of the Day website to review sites daily. They then write their own reviews using the guidelines suggested in the book. Design techniques have improved tremendously!