Crimes against Web Usability #1

Since the web began, people have logged into web services by typing their username and password, and hitting return. Obviously the IEDR don't play by anyones rules, not even their own, so if you want to do things with them, you get the new special login system...

1. You type your username and password and press return
2. You are taken to a CAPTCHA page.
3. You enter the CAPTCHA
4. If you got your username and password correct, you are then logged in. If not you are treated to a "Choose your own adventure" style error page. "If you pressed the red button, turn to page 7, if you pressed the green button turn to page 10, if you pressed both at the same time ...". Check it out.

This error page may as well say "Something is wrong, we think". Notice how the actual error is least prominent.

Thats not even what bothered me about this page! This next part is unbelievable. Imagine you had to login one way to read your email, and then another way to send an email. At the IEDR, they deliver on these sort of imaginations.

Have a look at the login box. You'll notice three separate buttons below, each of them logs you in for a separate purpose. Yes, thats right, there are 3 different ways you can be logged into the site, and no you can't change your mind once you're logged in.

So if I want to register destraynor.ie, change the dns for another site, and delete my claim for iedrsucks.ie that is actually 3 different login sessions (with 3 different CAPTCHAs). The default action (i.e. pressing return) logs you in for registering domains only. I had logged in about 4 times before I realised what was happening (and yes , I entered 4 different CAPTCHAs for my trouble).

Whats even better is that when you are logged in, the site provides you the illusion that you can perform any task from the menu at the left, but you end up having to enter another captcha, and then being told that you have to login AGAIN (and yes, fill out another captcha again). This sort of crap actually makes me feel ill.

Two other beauties. The IEDR doesn't really believe in "usernames" either. They provide you a username, usually something like ABX1237-IEDR, rather than say letting me use something I have a chance of remembering. As a result this is the first site I've used where I've actually wanted a "please enter your password, and we'll mail you username" feature.

Finally hyperlinks are the same colour as normal text, and have no underline, so you get the play "Spot the link", and they don't bother linking the banner to home, which again has been standard practice since about 1994.

On a lighter note

Recently I said that writing for the web is the hardest part of building a good web application. I can only presume that no one read the Room descriptions on the Jurys site before it went live. Who in their right minds thinks "An STD Room, yeah, thats worth 100 euro per night".

• IE Domain Registry. A truly unbelievable site
• Jurys Hotel Rooms, unfortunately I am staying in the STD one tonight.