Criticism is Hard to Give and Hard to Take
When I was in kindergarten, one of the things we were graded on was how well we "accepted constructive criticism". However, now that I'm an adult, and working in the Internet industry, I feel that I would have been better served if I had been taught how to accept non-constructive criticism. I have run user surveys of Web pages where the most useful thing that someone said was that they didn't like the color red, and that's why they didn't like the page. But often the comments are more vague, along the lines of "that page sucks" or "I hate your site" or "Lame".
However, part of Web Development is looking at pages and deciding what is good or bad about them. You need to do this, both to your own pages and to other people's, so that you can employ the good items and avoid the bad. But if all you can think to say is that the page "sucks" then you haven't learned anything.
Web Criticism: What to Look For
The first thing you need to do when evaluating a Web page is take in the entire page and how it affects you. I believe that there is always something to learn or like about every Web page, even those that you find excrutiating design. So take your initial impression and store it away, but learn to look deeper.
It is often easier to examine technical details to determine if a page is well designed or not. Some of the technical details I look for are:
- page loads quickly
This usually means that it is 20 Kb or less in size, including all images, java, and other elements. Tips to Speed Up Web Pages
- there is some nod towards accessibility
An easy judge of this is image alt tags. Pages with few or no alt tags are not accessible, and demonstrate less exacting design standards. Accessible HTML
- harmonious colors
You don't have to be an artist to tell that blue text on a red background is really hard to read. Also, light text on light backgrounds, or on backgrounds that are very busy are hard on the eyes. Color Theory
- valid HTML and CSS
When I do Web site criticism, I run the Web page through an HTML validator and a CSS validator. This quickly tells me the quality of the HTML and CSS.
Once I have evaluated a page technically, I look more closely at the aesthetics. It is always important to examine why you are having a gut reaction to a Web page, whether it's positive or negative. As I said above if you really like a page, then you would want to reach that style on your own pages, but you can't do that if you don't know what it is that you like. Some of the aesthetic items I look at are:
- use of technology (such as frames, CSS, JavaScript, etc.)
It is really tempting to overuse technology simply because it is cool. I try to evaluate if a page is using technology in a fashion that is useful, rather than simply "nifty". Browsing on the Bleeding Edge
- value of the content
The content has value in the context that it is in. If your site is trying to sell vitamins, and you have a photo of your cat on the front page, then the content is not necessarily useful. However, if your site is about your cat's heroic rescue of a neighbor, then the photo becomes important content. Content is King
- design flow
Jarring images and out of place headlines make Web pages difficult to browse. However, pages that have some thought put to the design provide a more pleasing Web experience. Web Design Basics
Web Criticism: Putting It All Together
If you are evaluating a site for yourself, then there is no need to be overly formal, but if you are doing it for a friend, or as a service, and especially if it is unsolicited feedback on a Web site, you need to pay attention to how you present it. Starting out your criticism with something, well, critical, is a sure way to get the developer to ignore you.
- start with something positive
- give good examples of negative items
- suggest methods of improvement
Learn to evaluate Web pages and your personal pages will improve. Once you can articulate what you like and don't like about someone else's page, you can work on those elements on your own site. And, once you get comfortable providing constructive criticism of other people's Web sites, you can better evaluate your own. Instead of learning to accept constructive criticism, we should all learn to provide it.
