Still 99% Bad... and proud of it

August 20, 2002

If this week's Macromedia "Site of the Week" on its Asia/Pacific portal is any indication, then Jakob Nielson's appointment as usability advisor to the company has had zero impact on Macromedia's resolve to change its usabilty spots -- zero, zip, nadda, nyet. And as I secretly suspected all along was just a clever rouse to get Jakob to shut up about the Flash 99% Bad thing. Nice work if you can get it.

Let's have a look at this user's expierence with the Macromedia Asia/Pacific Site of the Week:

1. ) After a very brief and tantalising glimps at the site's home page I'm instantly redirected to a page which informs me, "FLASH PLUGIN NOT DETECTED" and that "This site only works if you have the Flash plugin"... I do, I have version 6.0r47 of the plugin installed, it's the latest version available at Macromedia's download page. Unfortunately (for me) the detection script is explicitly testing for version 5 of the plugin.. go figure? (This is Macromedia's Site of the Week remember)

Never mind, I'm a power user and undaunted by this folly, I've decided to press on regardless and use the "If you know you have Flash, Click here to continue" link.

2. ) Clicking on the "Click here" link triggers a Javascript function; which spawns a pop-up window restricted to 790 pixels by 405 pixels with no tool bar, menu bar or status bar and with the scroll bars and window resize functions disabled.

After sitting through a thankfully brief but needlessly pointless Flash animation I'm left looking at a Flash "Log in" form. As I have not previously registered to experience this marketing wet dream I will need to click on the thoughtfully provided "Not registered yet? Sign me up" link so I can (one would hope) finally witness this motor vehicle advertisement.

3. ) After I click on the "Sign me up" link the engagingly titled "Getting to Know You" page replaces the the "Log in" page in the pop-up window. The "Getting to Know You" page is actually a HTML form which would render on my system at over 1000 pixels in height.

Unhappily, as previously noted, the site's authors have limited this pop-up window's height to 405 pixels and explicitly set it to have NO scroll bars and NO resize widgets so I am stuck staring at about one quarter of the required "Registration Form" with seemingly no way to complete it.

Oh well, c'est la vie. Thank you Ford Australia, Macromedia, Jakob Nielson and IconMedialab, it has been a lesson in usability unsurpassed. I'm off to get some abuse at another site... hope the new car works out for you.

...did I mention that this is Macromedia's "Site of the Week"?