Usability guru Jakob Nielsen presents findings of research done by Yahoo! and eBay in regards to the most common site annoynaces. It’s hardly a surprise that pop-ups, slowness and various gimmicks to enforce users clicking on the ads rated at the top of the annoyances list.
| Design Element |
Users Answering "Very Negatively" or "Negatively" |
|---|---|
| Pops-up in front of your window | 95% |
| Loads slowly | 94% |
| Tries to trick you into clicking on it | 94% |
| Does not have a "Close" button | 93% |
| Covers what you are trying to see | 93% |
| Doesn’t say what it is for | 92% |
| Moves content around | 92% |
| Occupies most of the page | 90% |
| Blinks on and off | 87% |
| Floats across the screen | 79% |
| Automatically plays sound | 79% |
| Source: Nielsen Norman Group | |
