Books I've Authored

Son of Web Pages That Suck

the download is a PDF file Download Chapter 4: "Design Issues Even Martians Should Know" (3.25 Mb)

This book is the sequel to the best-selling Web Pages That Suck (Sybex 1998), which became the Strunk & White of web design.

Here's what WebReference had to say about the book:

Vincent Flanders' new "Son of Web Pages That Suck" is the sequel to his best-selling book "Web Pages That Suck." WPTS arose from the site he founded by the same name in 1996, WebPagesThatSuck.com. It seems that WYSIWYG editors have just made it easier for designers to create bad web sites faster, so Flanders felt a second book was needed.

Flanders takes a different approach to teaching usability than the likes of Nielsen and Norman. Through over the top humor and outrageous examples of bad web design he manages to teach good design while keeping us entertained. Flanders uses humor as a teaching aid because he's found that that people tend to learn better when they are entertained.

You'll find yourself laughing as you read this book. The book is peppered with full-color pictures of Flanders and friends in various getups: a devil, an angel, a mechanic, a flasher, and even in the tub ("Splish Splash Pages" chapter). It's all in good fun, as Flanders doesn't take himself too seriously. He makes his points without condescension. He even uses Johnny Cochran-like sayings to illustrate his points:

"If the Bits Don't Flow, People Will Go."
"The Top's Gotta Pop or They're Not Gonna Stop."

The author is a marketing showman, using carnival-like PR:

TREMBLE at the horror that is Mystery Meat Navigation
RUN SCREAMING from splishy splashy Flashy pages...

The book is a hybrid design and usability book aimed at beginning to intermediate designers. The book teaches good design practices through bad mistakes with scathing commentary on numerous really bad web sites. Through his web site's "Daily Sucker" and thousands of email suggestions Flanders has plenty of material to choose from.

The actual advice is common sense stuff that advanced users will already know like keeping text contrast high and file sizes low. However, even after years of preaching the gospel, usability experts are finding web designers repeating the same mistakes over and over again. Flanders shows what not to do, and offers suggestions on how to do it right.

Web design is about working within limitations. Unless you have what Flanders calls "heroin content," make your pages fast loading, easy to navigate, easy to read, and minimize extraneous features. He gives useful pointers throughout the book for graphics optimizers, validators, browser simulators, and includes a CD chock full of useful utilities to shrink and shape up your pages.

Flanders likes to say, somewhat tongue in cheek, that this book is for everybody. It is not quite in that category, but it will have a broader appeal than most web design books with its splashy graphics, non-technical approach, and Flanders' trademark humor. Some college professors have even adopted his book for their Web design courses because it doesn't put their students to sleep. Highly recommended.

Web Pages That Suck

The book is currently out of print and superceded by Son of Web Pages That Suck.

the download is a PDF file Download Chapter 2 "Navigation" (1.6 Mb)

The original title for the book was Fixing and Preventing Web Pages That Suck, but the title got shortened for some reason that made sense at the time. I've heard a lot of people say, "Oh, I was surprised when I read your book -- I thought it was just a book about sucky Web sites." It isn't. The book uses bad sites as examples and shows you how to fix them -- or prevent them from happening in the first place.

WPTS is an easy and fun read and very educational. One of my favorite compliments is "It's the first technical book I've read that I've enjoyed reading." The writing is clear, concise, and easy to understand. Best of all, it isn't silly or pretentious. You won't find phrases like you'll see in other design books like: "...seeing the innovative design on the site was reward enough. 'Grrr,' says Andrew, satisfied."

If you design Web sites, plan to build one, or are just an active surfer, you need to hear what they have to say. Funny, opinionated, and always to-the-point, Flanders and Willis have developed a reputation for being the Web's leading critics. They'll teach you all about:

What works, what utterly sucks, and how to fix it

Creating enticing content and graphics -- and keeping it all fresh

Avoiding injury at the hands of bleeding-edge technologies

Marketing your site, generating traffic, and making money

What They're Saying...

"Finally a book that exposes Web disasters -- and most importantly, allows YOU to avoid making the same mistakes."
Dr. Jakob Nielsen
Sun Microsystems Distinguished Engineer and Web Usability Guru