> it's embarrassing how many iOS extensions I have installed just to work around today's shitty websites
The user-hostile design of web sites in 2021 is appalling. Even simple text articles or blog posts have become horrible. I was just reading a blog post linked from HN which featured 3 different popups: two modals and a modeless sidebar popup that follows you as you scroll.
No, I don't want to subscribe to your email newsletter.
No, I don't want to sign up for a course or webinar or some service or whatever.
No, I don't want to know more about something other than what I'm trying to read on this page while you keep interrupting me and telling me I should be doing something else.
(And that was a site that lacked the typical annoying cookie popup – maybe it actually respected the "do not track" feature? That would be a first.)
Popups were despised by users to such an extent that web browsers built in an option to block them. The sensible response to such a clear user preference would have been to abandon popups, but instead web designers came up with a way to work around the popup blocking feature by using modal javascript panes and sliding overlays to obscure the page content.
Autoplaying video was similarly viewed as obnoxious and battery draining, so web browsers built in a feature to block it; web designers responded by doing their best to defeat that feature as well, and it seems to be an ongoing arms race.
Back in the day, when someone asked how to build a website and attract visitors, the universal answer was 'Content is King', to the extent it was basically a meme.
Obviously that was before 'Engagement is King', where content became second-class and Google Tag Manager empowered marketing teams to load up each page with whatever new widget or analytics or advertising system they could get their hands on.
I've been maintaining my own site and I actually enjoy building it in the most barebones way possible. It's just HTML and CSS. Any time I feel tempted to add any JS I spend the time on making a noscript equivalent as best as I can. I'd love to see a swing back to that style of web dev again (keeping it separate from web app dev).
Ah, and then the 'allow push notifications', 'allow this website to access your location' and so on. Utterly ridiculous for just a visitor to go after them in such an aggressive way, and a surefire way to get me to never visit that particular website again.
In the current state of things, having a straightforward website is a competitive advantage. There's a reason I prefer StackOverflow links and completely avoid Pinterest.
The website I live from counters all of these patterns. Nothing appears above or in the content, only below it. There are no popups, no calls to actions and no GDPR notices. It's just one page of uninterrupted text. Everything else appears under the article. This has worked really well for me.
The way I see it, if your business model involves adding friction, you're doing something wrong.
> Autoplaying video was similarly viewed as obnoxious and battery draining, so web browsers built in a feature to block it; web designers responded by doing their best to defeat that feature as well, and it seems to be an ongoing arms race.
Browser vendors have just given up and let mute videos autoplay because otherwise the websites would show even less efficient gif/apng/canvas animation/manual slideshows instead.
It's sad but it works: "Whether you personally love it or hate it, the truth is, sticking a big ole pop-up in their face can be one of the most effective ways to jolt their attention & grab their email for a return visit."
The user-hostile design of web sites in 2021 is appalling. Even simple text articles or blog posts have become horrible. I was just reading a blog post linked from HN which featured 3 different popups: two modals and a modeless sidebar popup that follows you as you scroll.
No, I don't want to subscribe to your email newsletter.
No, I don't want to sign up for a course or webinar or some service or whatever.
No, I don't want to know more about something other than what I'm trying to read on this page while you keep interrupting me and telling me I should be doing something else.
(And that was a site that lacked the typical annoying cookie popup – maybe it actually respected the "do not track" feature? That would be a first.)
Popups were despised by users to such an extent that web browsers built in an option to block them. The sensible response to such a clear user preference would have been to abandon popups, but instead web designers came up with a way to work around the popup blocking feature by using modal javascript panes and sliding overlays to obscure the page content.
Autoplaying video was similarly viewed as obnoxious and battery draining, so web browsers built in a feature to block it; web designers responded by doing their best to defeat that feature as well, and it seems to be an ongoing arms race.