I agree — usability is what’s cool. Very cool.

There seems to be a trend amongst “older executives” to think that Gen Y users want everything hip and trendy. But is that really what even young people want or expect from their banking website? I remember sitting through a usability training seminar when I worked at Compuware and written on the white board in bold letters was: USABILITY IS COOL.

After sitting through three days of that usability training, I agreed, usability is cool. While bizarre user interfaces like this one will annoy and frustrate tech newbies, even highly tech-savvy visitors will appreciate clear, intuitive website design that feels familiar.

Time spent figuring out (a) if you’re even at a banking site, (b) identifying all of the page elements, (c) figuring out what is clickable by waving your mouse over everything, and (d) waiting 15 seconds for the Flash UI to load in the first place is totally wasted time. I am struggling to find anything positive about the UX this website creates.

I do agree with the idea of creating a micro site with information relevant to a distinct niche audience like college students. I give them kudos for that decision. But they should scrap this UI and go back the drawing board.