Error message and user interface — GoDaddy logon

GoDaddy’s poor user interface and error messages are frustrating.

Managing GoDaddy’s web site must be a major undertaking. With dozens of products and fresh ones added seemingly every week, fitting everything onto a web page and making it easy to navigate is a big task.

Last month GoDaddy made a major improvement to its domain management interface. But other areas of the site are still lacking. GoDaddy’s parking service has an interface similar to its fresh domain management console but just getting there takes multiple clicks.

Some of the messaging on GoDaddy’s web site also leads to frustration. When GoDaddy changed its locking functionality so that you could still change name servers and other features while the domain was locked, they didn’t update their messaging. When you clicked on “lock” you received a warning popup informing you that you would not be able to change the DNS when the domain was locked.

The most frustrating issue for me is when you get locked out of your account. Instead of alerting you that your account is locked (usually due to incorrect logon attempts), you get a generic error message that your account doesn’t exist:

This makes you worry that your account has been deleted. The only way you know your account is locked is if you call client service. (Don’t get me started regarding paying long distance and being on hold for 10 minutes just to talk to a rep).

Domain registrars ought to understand that usability is one of the top reasons clients defect. It probably doesn’t show up in client service surveys, but it has a cumulative effect. Frustration mounts to the point that one day you give up on the registrar.

GoDaddy isn’t alone in having a poor user interface. Even some of my favorite registrars could use a bit of work. Don’t make me search for simple functions. Don’t make me click on 4 links just to edit or register a domain. And most importantly, don’t give me error messages that don’t make sense.

I suspect most domain registrars think paying a usability consultant is a waste of money. Or they listen to whatever their developers tell them (and developers usually are not user interface experts). But I’d highly recommend they call in the experts.