iRage

Dad, who clearly needs a byline on my blog these days, pointed me to this tidbit on Slashdot yesterday:

Mouse Rage Syndrome. Study finds that bad Web design can cause extreme stress and anxiety for Web users.

At first I thought I'd never been afflicted by what I'm going to call iRage^TM (it's not the mouse's fault). As a Web designer, I tend to make fun of badly designed Web sites rather than get mad at them. But the longer I thought about it, I came to realize that I got pissed off at a couple of Web sites just yesterday.

Granted, I know what it's like to work with clients. And truth be told, I've actually been pretty lucky, with the notable exception of one small bookshop owner. But it takes impressive powers of persuasion and the patience of Job to keep many clients on track.

But, there's no excuse for design-oriented Web sites veering off the usability track. These are the ones that drive me the craziest. Rather than showcasing beautiful, smart and usable design, they often tend to shun standards all together in the name of art, experimentation, blah blah blah. That's a load of crap. It's just ego and pretension, and you're not kidding me. You can take your design "magazine" that only your newly-graduated art school friends read and... Know what you are? You're a bunch of art fags! Choke on this you dance-a-teria types!

iRage is real, my friends.