The internet is largely a place where people go to find information. While it serves many other purposes, this is its primary function in today’s digital world. That being said, I believe that a web site should present content that is:
- Relevant
- Accessible
- Well designed
Relevant content is choosing text and images that are appropriate for and appeal to your audience.
Accessible content means that technology is used well. This is a very important concept in web design. Technology is abundant on the internet and it can do some very cool stuff for your web site, but it does you no good if your audience cannot access your content because of technological restrictions, i.e. flash content is blocked and/or javascript is disabled.
Well designed means that your web site looks and feels appropriate for your audience. The way your content is presented can do a lot to build trust with your audience, or it can create distrust. The way your web site looks and how it functions presents a direct correlation for most viewers to how you value them as your audience. The best built web sites are those that allow viewers to find information quickly and confidently.
Who should you design for?
Well, believe it or not, with today’s technology you can in fact design for just about everyone without sacrificing a rich media experience. So, without over complicating things, here are some very general tips for who you should design for and why.
Design for humans. Yes, it is important that you design your web site to be friendly and accessible to humans. After all, humans are your customers. They are the ones that actually care about what’s on your web site. Designing for humans means having logical navigation throughout your site, it means presenting a visual hierarchy of information so the human knows where to look first, and where to look second. Humans typically see something before they read something. Give them something visually interesting to look at to get their attention and then use words to give them a reason to keep looking. Talk to your human visitors, through design, in a way that respects their decision to view your site, and gives them a way to find what they might be looking for quickly and intuitively.
Design for robots. Your web site has more than just human visitors. Robots provide a way for humans to find your web site. Search engines send out “robots” to view the content of your site, but the catch is…robots only like to read. If your site has nothing to read, well, robots won’t be very interested. Depending on the relevance of what they read, they will report back to the search engine and your web site will be ranked accordingly. The more relevant your content, the higher the ranking. The higher the ranking, the more humans can find your site. The more humans that find your site, the better you feel about your choice to build a web site. The concept is fairly simple. But watch out, if robots have nothing to read, i.e. an entire web site built in flash, they have nothing to report back to the search engine, and consequently, your web site will be ranked pretty low on the list.
Design beautifully. Web sites don’t have to be boring. They don’t have to look gross. They can be really cool! And the best part about a beautifully designed web site is that humans and robots alike will enjoy visiting it. Something magical happens when type, color, picture and message all working together to present your content beautifully. Oh yes, it’s magical. Don’t settle for great content that is presented poorly, or that humans have a hard time finding. Present relevant content, make your content accessible, and design it well. Those are the keys to great web design.
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