The 1st rule of web design is:
Just because you use the web, doesn’t mean you’d be good at making web sites.
The 2nd rule of web design is:
Just because you use the web, doesn’t mean you’d be good at making web sites.
This may seem obvious to some, but I think it needs to be said. Clients, developers and graphic designers seem to think that one can pick up web design after reading a few books or putzing around on Youtube for a few minutes (dripping sarcasm).
Trained monkeys can use Photoshop and learn HTML. Adults that deserve money for it work hard to get good at it. Interactive design, standards compliant HTML/CSS and having a site that functions in every web browser is a rare talent.
The 3rd rule of web design is:
As a new web designer devote a lot of time, thought and user testing into hammering your terrible designs into workable shape.
In doing this, prepare to have your ego hammered to shit- then, you have to grow it back and in full force (and then some) once you know what you’re talking about. This will allow you to talk clients out of terrible terrible ideas.
Most people (maybe even you, reading this, right now) think that good web design somehow falls out of the sky, perhaps from angel farts. I assure you this is not the case.
Ask for critiques from pro web designers often, and do user testing early and often, even if it’s bugging your friends or cubicle neighbors. You’ll be shocked to find out what works and what doesn’t.
As a rule, most site designs are missing one of two things:
- The “design” looks like hell. The colors are weird, disagreeable, or not there (it’s bland, and not minimalist). Or maybe the typography is poorly spaced, sized or illegible for other reasons.
- How do you use this damn thing? So maybe it looks AMAZING, you open up Photoshop and crap your pants thinking about how sweet it will be. But your menu doesn’t look like a menu, no one knows what’s a link and what isn’t, or maybe the user has no sense of the scope, purpose or their location in the site.
Web design is a two legged beast, form and function. It’s not multiple choice, you’ll need both. Occasionally a designer will be forced to negotiate something that isn’t the best visual choice in the world, but really makes intuitive sense.
Don’t be the guy that makes something look a little bit nicer, but harder to use.
Don’t tell this to 2advanced, they’d have to go back to school to unlearn all of the poor UI design they’re so used to making.
The 4th rule of web design is:
When you are but a grasshopper, and you feel something is cool and different, it’s probably been done before and failed miserably.
Human computer interaction is still in it’s early teens, it’s cranky, whines a lot, and doesn’t want to work. You have to meet it halfway, because it’s ass isn’t going to budge.
Unless your site is only for trendy web designers or database jockeys (both of which tend to have “bad UI blindness”), you’ll need an easy to understand UI.
Create your site for Grandma Jenkins, who can’t read small type, is unsure and untrustworthy of things that look strange, and things Google is the internet.
Web sites shouldn’t have a learning curve, leverage the design conventions that are out there on sites people use every day. Once you know what you’re doing you can add to the web design lexicon.
Usability, interactive elements looking “clickable”, readability are all priority 1.
The 5th, and final rule of web design is:
No one cares about your design concept.
No one cares how long it took to make it.
No one cares about your concept.
No one cares about all of the cool new technologies you used to make it.
At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is what the design contributes to the experience. It should be KY Jelly for all of the information or experience on the web site.
Web design is creating picture frames, if your frame is louder than the painting inside of it, you’re doing it wrong.
