4 Basic Website Concept Mistakes

When I am asked to review websites, four common problems present themselves.

• The Author Knows Best
  People who have written the copy think the visitor will read every word, and not skim the page for important information. However, people really don’t read web-copy. When they first reach a page , vsitors skim through looking for headings and sub-headings. If that initial research tells the visitor the information is relevent, they’ll stop and read it, otherwise they’ll click away.
• The Developer Knows Best
  Developers only look at a site in the context of it running properly without falling over.  As long as the search brings back results, or the navigation works properly, they are usually happy with the interface. They are less focused on aesthetics and the user experience. They also have a lot of IT skills, so they don’t notice something is complex (i.e. slow and annoying) for a typical user to use.
• The Design Agency Knows Best
   Agencies always want to “pimp a site to the max” because they think it’s good for their own online portfolio. (I know, I”ve done freelance work for them..). Unfortunately, simple, professional and effective cuts down the options for design agencies to showcase their creative skills, and of course the amount they can charge you, the customer. ”Upmarket” design and advertising agencies usually charge  thousands of dollars to come up with some pretty straight-forward advice before they even begin to start building your site! They”re simply outside the price range of smaller companies, non-profit organisations, and individuals.
• Building a Site for “You”
  Focusing on the needs of the business, or the site owner rather than the visitor is a common problem. Websites have often been based on converting the company brochure into an online presence, describing how wonderful each of the CEOs is, news content that hasn”t had a new article for 3 years,  case-studies and white papers have been dumped online because it’’s better than a blank space and more.  These sites are usually peppered with marketese and buzzwords, like “effective solutions provider”. Trust me users hate that. How do I know that – when was the last time you viewed corporate news when you went to buy something off amazon.com? This sort of dry, unfocused information does not help users answer the questions they have or help them get something done, like downloading a manual for a particular product.

If you’d like to know more about solving these problems, post up a question and I’ll do what I can to help.

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Tagged as: Tips, User-centered design