5 Websites I don't like

As far as design and style, I'm going to choose a wide range of websites:

Website #1: "Simplicity doesn't do it justice."

http://www.library.cornell.edu/newhelp/res_strategy/citing/apa.html

This is a website that tells students how to do APA form correctly.
It's a simple looking website, but unfortunately, the content is plentiful. The problem is that the navigation and it doesn't fit well with the content. The only links to be found are at the top and they go to anchor tags. When a tag is clicked, you have to scroll back!! Booo!! I would fix this in one of two ways: 1) use sidebar navigation (with expandable side menus) 2) use "back links" to be able to go back to the content navigation links. This is an example of when simplicity goes wrong.

Website #2: "Too much navigation"

http://www.fark.com

I actually love this website. Well, it's the content I love: it's a great aggregate of funny and amusing news tidbits. However, I hate the side bars. There's way too much going on. I'll actually forgive the website for the right side bar: it needs to have advertisements to stay operational. I just wished some content links weren't mixed in with the ads. I'm not sure if they're internal or external links (and you have to be careful with external links nowadays) because of they're proximity to the ads. On the left bar, there is just way too many links! I really think Drew Curtis didn't think about the scope of his website and it got away from him: and now it's link mania. I would reorganize the navigation links so that they are more general: like replace user centered links with a "User Services Link" or all of the forum/chat links with a "Talkback" link that leads to a portal. The link headings help, but there are just too many to navigate efficiently.

Website #3: "Metaphor gone wrong"

http://www.drudge.com

I hate this website. Not only do I hate the content, I hate its presentation even more. This is what Garrett would call a literal metaphor gone wrong: Drudge uses a newspaper metaphor that gets out of hand. The middle left content area isn't that bad: but I don't know which ones are top stories and which ones are older. Plus, the font is hard to read: it's too blocky. Plus, what's with the "..." Is it necessary? I know it's a newspaper/"hot of the wire"/"more on the fold" symbol, but there are so many of them it makes the page look visually cluttered. Lastly, the links on the bottom are horrible. What are these links and why should I care? At least Fark had link headings. Actually, they're blogger links on one column and on another, it's columnist links: but I'm a political junkie. What about the casual reader?

What would I do? I would clean up the font, eliminate the "...", and clearly mark my navigation. He needs to demarcate his content and navigation areas better. New York Times does a much better job at the newspaper metaphor.

Website #4 "Lack of User Centered Design"

http://bb.siue.edu/ (sorry you need to login to see this one)

I hate the blackboard forums. It takes a user and clobbers them over the head by saying "you will view this content our way or no way." Forums are supposed to be interactive and facilitate the free flow of information. But it doesn't let the user customize how that information is presented! You can't have an asynchronous conversation if you can't engage multiple parts of the discussion. How does BB prevent the free flow on information? Currently, it only displays the post title: and we all know, post titles are less than descriptive of the content of the post. In addition, it doesn't display the actual post until you click on the subject line link: if titles are incomplete, wouldn't it be better to have, at least, a portion of the post displayed?!

What would I do? I would prefer to see the whole thing (and have long posts that are collapsible) in addition to seeing the entire post of the replies. It would be so much easier to read and reply this way. Currently, you have to make multiple clicks or open multiple pages (in my case, multiple tabs in Firefox) to gather the required information from other posts to formulate a cogent reply! Gah! I should at least have the option to display the forum in the current way, a comprised way (i.e. seeing part of the post), or the posts in total (see dailykos.com for a good example of this).

Website #5: "Why should I care about this site and how is it organized?"

www.arborheights.com

I feel bad for not liking this website as it's an elementary school's website. However, my experience with most public school websites is that they're poorly done (which might mean they're done by students, and that is very forgivable).
What's wrong with it? If you landed on this page, would you be able to figure it's purpose? You know it's an elementary website, but why did they make it? There's no clearly defined strategy or scope. And, this is reflected in their choice of skeleton and navigation. There is no organization for navigational links! Which links are important? Which links are internal/external? How are the links organized? The icons are cute, but they're obviously placed in a 5x4 table with no meta unity.

God, I feel like I'm beating up on a little kid. But where are the mentors/teachers?!

What I would do? Simple: they could keep their basic skeleton, just add another row on the top that puts cute navigational headings and organize the links so that they belong under the proper subheading. They also need a mission statement of some sort: why is this website here and what purpose(s) does it accomplish for the school? I think they should also organize the links so that they're pertinent to their users: students, parents, and faculty.

What about my website? I'm trying for simplicity in my websites. But simplicity doesn't mean a lack of navigational options (and complexity doesn't mean tons of links). In my instructional website, I want people to navigate according to either their step in the process and navigate contextually (links in content). I think that will accomplish simplicity without being too simple.