After spending a few days in Las Vegas recently, I began to notice that Las Vegas is built to overwhelm your senses, but not to allow you to actually accomplish anything meaningful. With this shocking realization I came up with 10 Las Vegas strategies that you should NOT use on a website.

1. Impossible navigation - Take some water and a GPS with you and I will see you in 2 days.
2. Overabundance of useless content - There is so much to see, but none of it really matters.
3. Noise - It is too loud to talk. Let’s leave or go towards the loudest thing we can find.
4. High cost of simple decisions - Bottled water should not cost $5.
5. Misdirection - You could win a car... but you won't.
6. Lies - Free isn't even free in Las Vegas

7. Bigger is better - TVs, cars, casinos, European landmarks, 70 oz. cocktails.

   

8. Shock and Awe - They have canals filled with water … inside a shopping mall … inside a casino.

   

9. Elvis and pirate ships - This is self-explanatory.
10. Shotgun marketing - When you target everyone, you hit no one.

These rules are certainly not enough to ensure a positive user experience, but they are a great place to start.

Until next time, keep it usable Internets... and the house ALWAYS wins.