I stumbled across The horizontal way today, and it's renewed my hatred for design companies. Companies that claim to specialise in "web design", and vomit out websites infested with Flash, tables, javascript flyouts, and all the other evils.
But "The horizontal way" takes the cake in some regards. Why? because it's a website made by some retarded design company, and they're actually trying to PROMOTE using horizontal layouts for web pages.
Horizontal layouts are BAD.
Wait, let me rephrase.
Any layout with horizontal scrollbars is BAD
Why are they bad, I hear you say? Three very good reasons:
1. It's horrible to use at 800x600
2. It breaks users' conventional perception of a web page
3. They're bloody annoying.
Like it or not, 14% of users browse the web at 800x600. For an e-commerce site, that's potentially 14% of your sales.
I wonder how many of the people who come up with flashy new designs for websites, like horizontally-scrolling pages, have ever actually done some user testing. User testing, in the flesh-and-blood. Actually watched someone who is older than 20, and doesn't have a degree in Computer Science use a computer. If you present your typical user with a website that doesn't scroll normally -- that doesn't have the navigation where they expect it, they'll spend a lot longer trying to find what they're looking for.
Most usability specialists will tell you that the longer a user spends trying to find what they want on your website, the more likely they are to give up and try somewhere else -- somewhere else could well be your competitor.
And finally, horizontally scrollbars annoy the hell out of me. People read from left to right for one line, and up to down over paragraphs. Even Adobe can figure this out. Sure, the pages you read in a book are from left-to-right, but when you look at a PDF, where's the next page? Damn right: it's DOWN, not to the right.
So next time you want a website designed, don't hire retards like Grey Interactive, "Cre8ive" (or any company that can't spell). Hire a web developer. One that can prove to you they understand the term "usability", and know that users have a short attention span.