Robert | 2.22.2006 @ 3:59 PM
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Odeo, the site that offers podcasts galore, has a bad homepage. I hadn't noticed this myself, because I've only used the site once. I had to sign up the first time and didn't notice the bad homepage. But a co-worker pointed it and today I had to examine it for myself.

On Odeo's homepage, there are five large, easy-to-spot entry points. They are "Record Audio", "Share with People", "Podcast to the World", "Discover New Audio", and "Sign Up Now".

Most of the people going to the site have been there before and signed up. The logical thing to do on repeat visits is, well, record audio, share with people, podcast to the world, or discover new audio (sound familiar?). Since I want to do one of these things, and I'm not logged in because I haven't been here in a couple of weeks, I click "Discover New Audio", which is one of the five big, beautiful buttons on the homepage. At this point, I'm taken to what is essentially an advertisement for Odeo. It's a page that tells me I can discover new audio if only I were smart enough to use Odeo. Clicking the other buttons on this page shows me similar ads for the other things I could do if I were smart enough to use Odeo. None of these pages goes anywhere. There are no links to leave the page and get started except in the footer, which is not the obvious spot to put such valuable links. There is a way to log in, but if I'm not a registered user, there is no link that points me to the registration form. Not one. They're showing me all the things I could do if I were smart enough to use Odeo, but no way to actually use it.

So, I've decided I'm not smart enough to use Odeo. I can design and build complicated web applications, but I can't use Odeo.

Apparently, if I'm registered, but not logged in, I'm supposed to click the little tiny text link at the bottom of the homepage that says "Or, explore podcasts".

Not exactly what I'd call a commanding statement.

Again, there are five large, easy-to-spot entry points on the homepage. Four go to an ad about a feature, which offers no way to sign up or move on or get started. The fifth gives me a way to sign up.

Hey Odeo: You already convinced me to sign up. Now how's about you give me a giant button that does what it says it does?

A great application does what the user expects it will do. When I click "Discover New Audio", I expect boatloads of new audio to come flying at me at the speed of, um, sound.

Somehow, I'm still determined to use Odeo because the idea is great. But I guess Web 2.0 is going to bring with it yet another thing Web 1.0 didn't have: a whole new set of usability problems.