Bad usability calendar 2009

Since 2005 NetLife Research team publishes bad usability calendar and I have just downloaded and printed it. It features 12 great usability rules each year and illustrates them in a form of calendar.

You can download it on http://www.badusability.com/

2009

1. January: Content is king – fix it first!
2. February: Simplicity is overrated.
3. March: Adapt your website for mobile devices.
4. April: Synchronization has to work. Test with several systems.
5. May: Mix content where it adds value, not just because it’s cool.
6. June: Make sure your site follows common web standards.
7. July: Metaphors from other areas don’t always work on the net.
8. August: You don’t need a hierarchical website to get your message across.
9. September: Designing to suit yourself isn’t always a good idea. Get real.
10. October: Just because it matters to you doesn’t mean it’s important to everyone else.
11. November: Make some choices for your user. They don’t need to decide on everything.
12. December: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

2008

1. January: Choose a presentation form that suits your content
2. February: Offer personalization only where it adds value
3. March: Keep novel choices visible; don’t hide information in dropdowns
4. April: Video is dandy – as long as it supports the user’s task
5. May: Don’t require Log in if you don’t have to
6. June: Who said usable has to be boring
7. July: Fitts Law: Bigger IS better – or at least easier to click
8. August: More navigation doesn’t always make your site easier to use
9. September: Don’t copy every fancy Web 2.0 element you see
10. October: Focus effort on your core content; the home page sees fewer visitors
11. November: One word: Oversharing
12. December: We’ve all seen enough Facebook clones now, thank you!

2007

1. January: Avoid graphic design take-over.
2. February: Give categories understandable names.
3. March: Write error messages in the user’s language, not the developer’s.
4. April: Don’t use colour as the sole way to get your message across.
5. May: Use real content in your prototypes.
6. June: Don’t fall into the “news site trap”. Avoid drowning your content in ads.
7. July: Restrain yourself: Avoid creativity for creativity’s sake.
8. August: If your search doesn’t work, remove it.
9. September: Be professional: typos, alignment errors and dated content undermine credibility.
10. October: Many relationships exist. Some of them are useful.
11. November: AJAX is cool, but only when it helps the user.
12. December: Choose the right genre for your content.

2006

1. January: Avoid pop-ups. They cover up the content and leads to unnecessary clicks for the users.
2. February: Give all pages suitable titles and subtitles.
3. March: Don’t make it complicated for the user to find the information on the page.
4. April: Red and green used together can lead to misconceptions for people with colour blindness (8% of all men).
5. May: Don’t let news and other information take up too much space from the main focus.
6. June: Don’t let the user wait. Avoid long downloading time.
7. July: Show important information in the same picture. Avoid scrolling, if possible.
8. August: Make sure the readability is good. Use plain fonts and limit the number of different fonts.
9. September: The users should know where they are at all times. The navigational hierarchy must be consistent.
10. October: Adjust the text for browsing. Bullet lists, tabulars and spaced out words make it faster to find information.
11. November: Use a language the users understand.
12. December: Practise minimalism. Avoid extra information and visual elements.

2005
(Translated from Norwegian with Google Translate)

1. January: Have a good contrast between text and background. Let users be able to read the text.
2. February: Do not use the arcane icons where users have to guess their functions.
3. March: Do not let the creative design destroy usability.
4. April: Do not use background images behind important information.
5. May: Present the information as simple and straightforward as possible.
6. June: Do not use hidden navigation so that the user must try and fail to find the content and features.
7. July: Be consistent! So users don’t exert themselves unnecessarily.
8. August: Follow standards and conventions! How can users use the experience from other solutions.
9. September: Let’s be clear what is interactive and what is not!
10. October: Do not use too small font size if you want people to read what you wrote!
11. November: Use alt text to make the content available to all.
12. December: Too much information makes people confused.