I attended a free webinar given by Matt Schleyer, NavigationArts’ Director of Design, on how to think critically about a web design. I noted some of his points and thought I’d share them here.
If you want the slides or the recording, you can find both on the Navigation Arts website.
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THE POWER OF APPEARANCE
The most powerful form of communication is non-verbal. What people see (visual design) has the power to comfort, motivate, direct or distract and is a silent yet mission critical deliver channel for your brand.
According to the Stanford Web Credibility Project http://credibility.stanford.edu/ [last updated in 2007], the number 1 (#1!) credibility criteria is visual design.
ART & SUBJECTIVITY Or You say tomato, I say bowling ball.
At heart we are all visual communicators – what we wear, what we drive, how we decorate the house. We all have a point of view on matters involving aesthetic. Design is not inherently quantifiable. Design is not formulaic. There will never be a design solution that will satisfy everyone.
Traditional Media vs. new Media -
Traditional Media [advertising] is frequently an unwelcome guest thrust upon unsuspecting or unwilling participants. (commercials, magazine inserts)
The world of design is no longer linear, where the point was to capture your attention, not to have you interact.
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USER CENTERED DESIGN
It is imperative to create not award winning design, but appropriate design.
Smart user interface is able to reconcile the oft competing demands of the business goals, the technical limitations and the users’ needs.
User Centered Design requires far more than a set of engaging visuals. The interface must be informed by, and built on top of, strategically developed IA and sound technology and populated with rich content.
THE DESIGN PROCESS
Ask stakeholders/participants:
- to give you a 30 second speech explaining what the site does/should do (you will get different answers and this is a good thing).
- to tell you what they want users to leave their site with? What constitutes a success for their users? (again… different answers are important to get).
DESIGN EXPLORATIONS
When presenting your client your designs, 2 approaches are sufficient, 3 may be pushing it.
More than 2 (3 tops!) just creates more headaches (noise) for the client and will lead to a less successful design.
Although it is difficult, do everything in your power to remove your personal feelings and biases from the process. Even working on a project for a few days or weeks will lead to emotional attachments to the product. It is important to acknowledge and respect that so that you can avoid mistakes.
USER TESTING
Do whatever you can to not remove this from the development phase. DO NOT SKIMP HERE.
Your proximity to the project and your acute emotional ties can and WILL cloud your judgment.
Make every effort to accommodate reasonable user feedback (even if it conflicts with your personal opinion).
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EVALUATION QUESTIONS
THE BASICS:
Is all the critical information above the fold (1024 x 768 resolution)?
Is the experience consistent?
Is the interface transparent?
THE ‘ABLES’
Is it Maintable?
Is it Scalable?
Is it Memorable?
