Readings and thoughts

Sorry, Andrea, I couldn't find reading four. You may have a broken link, or there may be something wrong with my computer.

Recipe for the successful Web site: the best thing I got from this reading is NOT to design Web sites for everyone. design it for your audience. while we may think that this is only true for of-line media that is not geographically accessible to everyone, the Web becomes increasingly specialized. that is, unless you are google. by the way, this site has a GREAT set of links.

Order of Order: nice name, to start. but I was sad to see that AIGA does the cheesy thing where you make the first letter of your article huge. I find this sad. 

Contently speaking, I love the idea that we can arrange the world exactly how we want it. I wonder what dewey decimal would have to say about that. but truly, organization is so personal. this is why search bars are so popular. if only I could get one of those for my closet.

Designing Interfaces: sorry for all you anonymous, non-KU design school people, I don't have a link for this reading. and it is much more complex and technical than the others, so I won't try to sum it up for you. I will attempt to extract some nuggets.

1. Think in the perspective of the user. Run through the site in their shoes, not yours.

2. Keep your viewer comfortable. Don't change the setting. When you are dealing with complex information, don't worry about getting bored. Worry about getting lost.

3. There are so many mechanical tools used in Web design to direct a user, eg: scrollbars, escape hatches, breadcrumbs, dialogue boxes and unlimited color without fear of printing costs, that it may even make you feel like God. However, with all of these controls, we do have a lot of competition.

4. Sequences are tricky, because people like to know where they are in relation to "finished." So, give your user a reference point, always.

In addition to the readings, I'll be keeping a list of sites that inspire me. Here goes nothing:

MoMA - very elegant and simple. navigation is effortless

Tlbox - a tool for Web designers, both content and construct

iTunes - even though it is not a Web site, this program has taught us all a LOT about content organization

Moodstream - you can actually create mood boards with this site. Great ad for getty, and well-organized, too.

TED - everyone loves TED. I love TED not just because he is cute and well organized. I also appreciate the fact that it loads a lot faster than any other site that won a Webby.

Mercedes-Benz - the interactivity is amazing on this one

Content is KING! or whatever

Browsing through the blogosphere, I came across many opinions, many strong opinions, about Web design. It seems that everyone is an expert on how Web design should be done, as they should be. Isn't this stuff just designed for us anyway? So if I like it, it must be good design.

While I believe this is true, we must remember that there is a whole slew of hits on company Web sites every day. And you know what, most of them are useless. 

Web sites exist for a reason, whether it is to sell products or get people's eyeballs on the ads, someone is paying for that domain name, and the (usually) have a good reason for it.

Good design doesn't just get eyeballs on the page, it controls the direction of they eye, the location of the click, and so on. Makes you feel powerful, huh?

What I am trying to say is this: quality not quantity. You may get a lot of hits on your site for pasting up the latest celebrity crotch shot, but what will you do with those hits? Will you make money? Bring about governmental reform? Quite a task