Motoko’s weblog

I like reading goo’s Ranking results (ranking.goo.ne.jp). You get a good laugh when reading the results for topics like “Canned goods that you always let expire” and “Things you want to peal off” (like scabs). Most of the topics have nothing to do with Internet or Search, but they just posted Top 20 results for “Things you hate about corporate web sites”, which I’d like to share.

These are all good points, and not just for Japanese people, but I think all of us have experienced the same frustrations at some point in time. I see issues like #2 (heavy image files), #4 (PDF file), “#10 (contact info) and #20 (English menus) all the time when I review localized corporate websites.

1. The site content has not been updated for months
People are looking for fresh content. There’s no excuses for corporate websites for not updating the site regularly. What year is the copyright on your site?

2. Using image files that are too big/heavy
Keep in mind that when you are in Japan, it takes longer to download the sites hosted outside Japan. Even though many of them are on broadband, I still hear people complaining about timing out when download pages and especially the files.

3. Websites with “under construction” pages
The site/page shouldn’t go live until it’s completed!

4. PDF file opens/downloads when click the link
It is very annoying, when you are expecting to go to another page, but file starts to download instead. I’ve seen some “localized” websites using this function, avoiding to deal with pages with double byte characters, I guess, but chances are, they cancel the download and leave the site. By the way, handling Japanese characters is not complicated at all.

5. Everything is in Flash (especially on index page)
All flash index page with no “skip intro” or any text links to other pages are like traps, and out of the question! Many non-Japanese corporate sites forget to localize flash content into Japanese.

6. Pop Up windows
Some pop-ups actually improve the usability, but don’t over do it.

7. Keep clicking the links, but can never get to the information looking for
It’s like the never ending automated phone greeting, isn’t it? You click a link hoping to see the information page, but next page has more links for you to select. In some cases, the link brings you back to the page you’ve been already, or want you to e-mail them for information. I bet some of the site owners never actually used their sites.

8. No pages with product/service list
I guess they are not in business to sell their products or services. :))

9. Site suddenly makes noise or plays music without warning
We don’t need websites to work as an alarm clock. People in Japan have desks right next to each other without partitions in many offices in Japan. Loud beeping sound from the website when your boss is on an important call could mean a pay-cut or another unpaid overtime.

10. No contact information
It speaks loudly how important the customers are to the corporate, doesn’t it? If you are afraid of SPAM, at least set up a contact form.

11. Can’t identify what the site is about
I don’t think that the site owner knows it, either. LOL
Poorly translated sites often have this problem. Don’t trust the translators. Don’t let your friend who speaks in Japanese translate the content. Being Japanese or able to speak in Japanese doesn’t mean that he/she is a good writer/editor.

12. No product/service information on site
The era of website functioning as a corporate brochure ended long ago!

13. Site changes the browser size
Don’t control my browser. I can adjust the size IF I want to.

14. No on-site search
Especially with a large site, where it’s difficult to find the information, the on-site search is very important. If you set up a on-site search, be sure to check some of the search results to make sure that the pages you want people to see shows up in the results. By the way, don’t think that it’s easy to find the information on your site. People don’t know how your site is set up as well as you do.

15. Map of office location is not clear
They pretend that they want people to visit the office, but not really?

16. Using harsh colors (bright yellow, red, etc.)
The soft/comfort colors are “IN” in Japan now. Change the color scheme for Japanese site.

17. Small text
I saw a guy using magnifying glass to read message on his Blackberry. Hope I’ll never have to put a magnifying glass on my PC monitor. It’s just sad… Hate getting old. lol
Many Japanese websites now offer buttons to change the text size on their site.

18. Official corporate blogs with too many inside jokes and stories
Official corporate blogs are not office cafeteria, and should stick with the topics suitable for public audience.

19. No right click
Another example of site owners worrying too much about protecting themselves and forgetting about the usability. Remember, the right click has more functions than to grab images.

20. Site menus in English
If you are serious about going after the Japanese market, show 100% commitment. Things like English menus only tell the visitors that you are not serious about their business. I hope I won’t see another site with contents on image files (translated text on image files) either… but chances are I will find them.

As said, all the issues are reasonable and would’ve been prevented if they create the sites with users in mind. Once the people come to your site, the usability of the site could make or brake the success of your web business.