7. Pop. Pop. Pop.

As so much of my time is already spent on the internet I'm virtually guaranteed to be bothered by some sort of pop-up welcome ad which overlays content and requires that I engage on a hunt for its close button. I actually find these more aggravating than those squirrely ads that manage to evade pop-up blocker software to create their own little window.

They say familiarity breeds contempt.

It could be argued that ads that appear in this manner succeed in implanting their message or image in your mind, but I interact with them in a completely different manner: I remember it like the face of my nemesis and go out of my way to avoid the brand or product that utilizes the ad.

So here are some of my thoughts on what they should do instead.

• Have the user only be required to waggle the mouse a bit in order to close the ad, possibly the width of the ad, giving it time to still be viewed, although this could result in trained user behavior of mad mouse waggling. (Studies shall be done)
• Turn the ad into a simple game. Have the ad tell a simple story that connects with the brand by having the user contribute a simple click or swipe.
• Fade the ad away in an amount of time that would not repel users and not require any clicks. If after one second the content on the page was already slightly visible through the ad then maybe users would be more inclined to stay for the content they know is there.

There are probably better ways than just those I've come up with on short notice and actual studies on user behavior would have to be done in order to arrive at an actual conclusion. Aside from that, I strongly believe that no ad, unless part of a video you are already watching, should automatically have audio enabled. Cruising the internet while listening to music, only to be interrupted by the unnecessary screeching of an ad hidden in a maze of freshly open tabs is one of the most enraging experiences I can think of when it comes to having to interact with a computer.