UJQTUPJNQSPWFZPVSXFCQSFTFODF
PDF Files for Online Reading
Users hate coming across a PDF file while browsing, because it breaks their flow. Even
simple things like printing or saving documents are difficult because standard browser
commands don't work. Layouts are often optimized for a sheet of paper, which rarely
matches the size of the user's browser window. Bye-bye smooth scrolling. Hello tiny
fonts.
Worst of all, PDF is an undifferentiated blob of content that's hard to navigate.
PDF is great for printing and for distributing manuals and other big documents that
need to be printed. Reserve it for this purpose and convert any information that needs
to be browsed or read on the screen into real web pages.
Duplicate Content
Having a website filled with duplicate content is bad for search engines and bad for
customers. People using the internet like websites with lots of new content. Any web-
site you build should have lots of pages and lots of unique content.
Making assumptions about the user experience
Just because you have a 24-inch 1920×1080 monitor, it doesn’t follow that all users
have the same equipment. It’s even worse in the mobile world — designers and devel-
opers rarely think about devices other than their own smartphone.
Not Changing the Color of Visited Links
A good grasp of past navigation helps you understand your current location, since it's
the culmination of your journey. Knowing your past and present locations in turn makes
it easier to decide where to go next. Links are a key factor in this navigation process.
Users can exclude links that proved fruitless in their earlier visits. Conversely, they
might revisit links they found helpful in the past.
Most important, knowing which pages they've already visited frees users from uninten-
tionally revisiting the same pages over and over again.
