You know what’s ironic about web site usability? it makes so much sense, yet many sites manage to make it to the top even though they’re frustrating to use.

Facebook is one of those sites. I’ve been using it for over two months now, and I still find myself having to stop often to think where should I click next to proceed.

To be a little more specific, Facebook suffers from those usability issues:

• Using unconventional (and unusual) names for objects and actions like “Wall” and “Poke”.
• Lack of visual aid. Even using simple ASCII arrows for “back” links (for example) aren’t there. Navigating through a site where all its links look the same is pretty irritating.

• Wrong placement of links as shown in the following screenshot:

  

  “back to group” has nothing to do with the group’s photos. Why place them on the same line? a better placement would be:

  

  Doesn’t that make much more sense? It does indeed. And That’s only one example of the links’ placement issue.

• Having to go through unnecessary step(s) to complete an action. For example: you can’t use an application installed in someone else’s profile unless you install it first. I don’t know if that’s technically required, but logically it doesn’t make any sense.

Are there no better alternatives? is there something special about it that I fail to see?

I don’t know. It’s the first (and hopefully last) social networking site I join, so I don’t know much about the alternatives.

What do you think?