h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

http://www.webpagesthatsuck.com

Shh, you'll give away some of my research.

Try the Odeon website, http://www.odeon.com

It includes everything I hate about bad sites - non-standard navigation, no support for older browsers, confusing and badly designed navigation, and a complete lack of information of interest.

You're not joking! It resizes my window to half the size for some reason.

I tried accessing it with javascript turned off (a la older / specialist browsers) and it produces a blank screen with no explanation.

I don't know who designed the site, but they need education. Preferably in the form of a trout slapping.

Just had the misfortune to try to use this - It is awful (I've already complained to them about inaccurate accessability information - I mean if you are going to say wheelchair friendly at least check it is first!!). I went round in circles for 5 minutes, phoned the cinema using the number they gave and got through to a COMPLETELY automated service, tried to access the "about the company" bit but couldnt as the menus don't line up at all so the pop out bit disappears when you try to access it, ended up trying to use their online booking service as I assumed (correctly) that if it means getting cash out of you they will allow you access to a real human being.

I'm actually grateful that the film we were planning to see tonight is in the non wheelchair friendly screen and so we wont be giving them our cash...uci here we come.

Just make a complaint and suggest that H2G2ers do the same!

Power of the masses and all that!

Mel

I've got a good mind to hire myself to them as an website design accessibility advisor. They haven't even followed the most basic of protocols.

Mind you, the other cinema in Southampton is a UGC (Virgin) cinema, and I can't even find a website for them!

I use the local paper for times for both of them now - technology seems to have failed completely!

I sometimes use Teletext - semi old technology!

Mel

I like cut-down internet stuff - like WAP, PDA-suitable HTML, even Teletext. I check a lot of stuff on the internet using my PalmPilot. Unfortunately sites like Odeon don't think to provide content suitable for these. It's a simple matter - their server side scripting doesn't need to be changed in the slightest, it's just a matter of presenting the information in a basic, text only manner, without flashy bits.

Same goes for DNA - I don't see why they can't make a very basic skin, text only or with small images, which would be suitable for mobile devices, screenreaders, and other text only / low bandwidth browsers.

It was on the cards at one point but I don't knoe what happened to it.



Mel

Yeah, they had a WAP version, but they had to ditch it when they came to the BBC, as BBC Online didn't have a WAP policy or something.

I don't like WAP myself as it can *only* be accessed through WAP enabled phones - my palmtop processes normal HTML and dials up to a normal ISP, and so it can't access WAP, but instead has to download the 'full' versions of sites, which are often far too big. And, like the Odeon site, often aren't downloadable on such a basic device anyway.

I think cut-down HTML is the way to go for mobile devices - conforming to the existing standards, but keeping it as simple as possible. Then we won't have the same problems as we've had with WAP (ie. it being crap )

But how would it know? would you be able to press a button when you got to a site or would it identify your browser as text only?

Mel