Hey, design school: I can't read your homepage!
(Update: I use “NoScript” to block webpages' JavaScript by default. After writing the rant below, I turned JavaScript on, and a semi-transparent box appeared behind the yellow text, making it readable, though less easily readable than it should be. However, a key principle of web design is that designs — especially homepages — should work in any browser, with or without JavaScript. So I’m still going to post this rant.)
While reading this article on the New York City tech scene and what NYC needs to compete with Silicon Valley, I was intrigued by ITP Tisch after reading “Most of the good design schools don’t emphasize web product design… NYU’s ITP stands out as a program that focuses on the intersection of design and technology (e.g. the Foursquare team went to school there).”
Eager to see what these web design gurus are doing, I clicked to learn about ITP. I was startled to discover that most of its homepage text is completely illegible because it’s yellow on a white background! The background image on ITP’s homepage is a photo, the middle third of which is bright white… exactly where most of the text is! I could read it only after highlighting it.
Never put yellow text on a white background! That’s not fancy web design. That’s simple common sense! Did anyone even look at their website’s homepage after they completed it?
What a lousy first impression ITP is giving about their competence in their field of claimed expertise!
Posted by James on Thursday, August 11, 2011