5 Questions to Ask When Evaluating a Web Site Design
By Joshua on March 31 2008
Photo by ecstatisist (license)
It is pretty common to hear web designers complain about clients' not understanding good web design. Sometimes the complaints are justified. But many times the problem isn't the client but the designer's failure to educate them about what constitutes good web design.
And there are also times when, despite all odds, a web designer might just be wrong.
In all of these situations, it is important to have a clear set of questions to ask so that both web designers and clients can evaluate a design objectively. Here are five such questions.
1. Does the design get in the way of the content?
Everyone says "content is king," but if the design is getting in the way of the content, then someone doesn't really believe it.
The most basic test for most web sites is whether the content is easily readable. If the design is so crowded and overwhelming that reading becomes a chore, then the design is almost certainly a failure regardless of how impressive the graphics are.
Another test is whether interaction with the website is easy, intuitive, and conforms with conventions. One of the most common offenders in this area are Flash portfolios which use "innovative" navigation. If the interaction prevents people from finding site content, then it is time to head back to the drawing board.
2. Does the design support the theme and tone of the content?
Once the design has gotten out of the way, the question is whether the design actually supports the content. For example, a medical website would probably be quite safe with medical blues and greens.
But that doesn't mean that all medical websites should be the same. An academic journal should look considerably different than a blog about amusing medical accidents.
The design's color and overall style should support both the theme and tone of the content.
3. Is the design appropriate for the audience?
This question follows naturally from the last, but is a bit different. Consider the case of a sophisticated website with an elegant, minimalist design in shades of gray. The only problem is that they are targeting the 50+ crowd, many of whom who can't make out the gray on gray type.
Even though the design supports the content, and might be perfectly fine for most 25 year olds, it isn't appropriate for their audience.
4. Does the design emphasize the most important content?
In web design, all content is not created equal. People have a limited amount of time and attention, and a good design will help ensure that it is directed to the most important content.
The question, of course, is what content is the most important? This will vary from site to site, but for a blog it is usually the most recent article or the most popular posts. For an ecommerce site it might be current specials or the latest product.
A good design will help these things to stand out from the crowd.
5. Can the design accommodate future growth?
Many websites are given a design which serves its initial needs quite well. But over time as more content is added or the site grows beyond its original specifications, the design no longer works as well as it used to.
This is especially common in navigation. A structure which works very well for navigating a handful of pages quickly becomes unwieldy for navigating dozens.
Another common problem is the use of inflexible technologies, such as Flash or static HTML. Both of these have their place, but if a site is going to be updated even semi-regularly, they quickly turn out to be much more trouble than they initially seemed.
Do you have more good questions to ask? A disagreement with one of mine? Let me know in the comments!
What our readers said
Hello there…
I’ve posted a spanish version of your article, obviously, including a link to this post :D
You can read it here:
http://www.phillipecw.com/blog/template_permalink.asp?id=164
Thanks for the link, Phillipe!
Josh,
I find that my dealings with clients is a never ending process of education – both theirs and mine. In a way, I’m glad I don’t work with another designer because there are things that James sees that I easily take for granted.
I’ve learned to see a site through the eyes of a first time visitor. Many of the questions you posed here I ask myself every day through each step of the creative process. These are also questions we ask our clients to help them give their vision shape.
@Harrison McLeod of the Clan McLeod (you did watch Highlander, right?):
I know exactly what you mean. When I first got into web design, it was hard for me to understand that some clients couldn’t care less about whether the site looked decent or not as long as it did what they wanted it to. In those days I spent quite a bit of time explaining how good design can make things work better.
It isn’t usually that topic anymore, but I’m always learning things from my clients, and I think they’re learning from me too.
Joshua, you make some very good points here!
As you say – while a good design is important to a successful web site – after all, it’s all about capturing the end user’s attention, and a bad design is not going to do that… It’s equally as important to be sure the content is well considered.
Because while a good design is what initially attracts visitors to the web site and makes them decide to stay for a little while longer… if the content is not good, or it is difficult for them to navigate, etc., well, you’re just as likely to loose that end user, too.
It can be a tricky balance! That’s why I always find it important to have a good open line of communication with the client.
Not only for me to understand the client’s needs and goals for their web site and what it needs to do… But also for the client to understand where I (as the web designer) am coming from and why I suggest certain elements (such as a static site over a flash site, or wordpress / CMS vs a static site, etc.)
@Selene: One of the things that I sometimes point out is how a badly designed website can still become extremely popular provided the content is compelling enough. Design is very important, but content is the heart and soul of a website.
Nice article, I always thought of myself as a webmaster first, designer second. Clients get confused when it comes to delivering the content they want within the graphical limitations they set on us, and themselves. Sometimes we even restrict those requirements even further.
@Bryan: I definitely sympathize. It can take a little bit of time educating clients to make sure they understand the implications of one design versus another.