Saturday, April 30, 2011

Is There Anything Right About the USA Today Website?

I have to admit, I never went to USAToday.com until today and I made that decision for multiple reasons. One, if your newspaper design is terrible, it's close to guaranteed that your website will make me want to blow chunks. Secondly, I'm pretty sure Yahoo! News just buys USAToday stories anyways.

But I was sent there for the first time and decided to get a look at their home page and OHMYWORDWHATTHEHECK
 (Please click on the image to barf)
This is what happens when you stop caring. So many things to pick apart, but can we just start with a simple question: Why do you have an ad for the 2010 Census in your upper right hand ad-space? And why is it so pixilated? It is nearly May of 2011 so I'm pretty sure the guy who forgot to fill out his census will see this ad and still think it to be too much of an effort. If the Census paid top dollar for this, then good on you, USAToday.

Secondly, your front page story is on the fifth Fast & Furious movie with a promise that it delivers "high octane entertainment." But not to be missed is the assorted list of top headlines to the right of Vin Diesel as if he were curious in the top stories, which include: Mariah Carey's twins, warning for homebuyers, and the third most popular article (second list of sentences as you move right from Mr. Diesel) "Casey Abrams says he growled too much."

America!!!

What's the worst website design you've ever seen? I'm talking like this bad.

6 comments:

Jeff Patterson said...

Hey USA Today, 1997 called for you. They want their web design back.

WORST site by a web designer, for a web designer.

Most awesome timeless design // Space Jam | original design, untouched since 1996.

Jeff Patterson said...

It may be appropriate that Vin Diesel and the "Fast & Furious" franchise is spotlighted on the screenshot of the USA Today site. Their web design was relevant when the first movie released.

Chris Nye said...

amazing...space jam.

Luke said...

espn's site is pretty much a mess.

Vickie said...

that evangel cathedral website left me speechless. and so incredibly jealous. That Dance Ministry has my name all over it.

Chris Nye said...

I think that dance team might be a new form for you to learn :-)