Thursday 13 August 2009

Tip 20 - Design over Substance

Ok so how often have you been to a website and thought, what a nice looking site only to find the site navigation hard to use, or the website just not functioning. Unfortunately this an all too common problem. It is mainly due to websites being designed and not developed. This means that too many website have taken design over substance and ended up with a poor website.

Let me explain if you take your home as an example. When your house was built it was first designed by an architect, they decided which doors lead to where, how many rooms there are, where the walls are and so on. It was not designed by an interior designer, as they would come in after the house was built and add the nice finishing touches, after all on the inside your house is nothing more than bricks and mortar.

So how does this fit with your website? Simple, behind the scenes your website is nothing more than a bunch of code (the bricks and mortar) that holds it all together and makes it work in the way you want it to. to see this in action click on the view menu at the top of your browser and select the option for source or page source. It does not matter if you dont understand what you see, you just need to remember that this is all the internet sees of your site. Whether you are searching on a search engine or looking at your site in your browser.

When you are looking at your website, or thinking of getting it redesigned or a new one designed, make sure you go to the right people at the right time. The place to start is with a Technical Architect, they will make sure your site is designed and developed just how you want it and that it will all fit together and work like a charm.

There are lots of agencies out there who do great designs, they also tend to off a lot of offline designs too such as leaflets, popsters, logos, etc. They may be able to make you website look great but due to the fact they are designers your site will lack the necessary functionality that comes with being a website.

So remember this simple lesson, when getting your current website redone or a new one built, start as you would for your home, get the functionality designed by a Technical Architect. Avoid using one of the many companies who also do offline designing (leaflets, brochures, etc) as they will only sub-contract parts of your website out to someone who can do the coding side. All of which will cost you more, where as if you start with a Technical Architect they will make sure you get the right people for the job from day one, and this will save you money in the long run.

If this all leaves you wondering where to start, please feel free to visit my website Potissimus.co.uk or drop me an email sean.connolly@potissimus.co.uk and I will do my best to guide you through this internet driven world.

Are you making the most out of your website. The answer will most definately be no. Ask for a FREE report now. Go to www.potissimus.co.uk for more info.

No comments: