Website Development Means More Than a Pretty Face
It’s easy to assume that order is not something I care much about. I tend to be a bit of a hurricane, in personality, appearance, and execution. My mother always tells me that when I was a child, I would simply walk through a room and by the time I exited, everything was amiss. Things have not changed much.
But contrary to my persona, I live by order. It is central to my being. Everything must have its place, and I must know what I am doing at all times. If I do not have a clear direction, or know every piece of what is happening, I tend to become the aforementioned hurricane.
It is this personality trait that makes me a great test for websites. If I go onto a website and cannot find what I am looking for, or understand what the person, company, what have you, is trying to tell, sell, or instruct me on, I leave. Likewise, if I cannot easily locate the address, phone number, or contact name, I become frustrated and leave.
I see a lot of bad websites. Not from DDA, but from clients coming through the door inquiring about our services. I always check out potential businesses and companies to get an idea of who they are and how to approach before contacting them or moving forward, and sometimes I am still confused about what their purpose is even after trolling through the entire site.
Website development is more than a pretty face, or design, it’s more than just a placeholder with a company picture to prove you have one, and it’s more than just a dumping ground for every product you have ever manufactured.
Think of it like a job interview. When hiring, you make assumptions about a person’s character or performance from the minute they walk in the door. If they have a stain on their shirt, you immediately think they are sloppy.
When someone goes onto your website for the first time they are also making assumptions. A poorly designed site, could translate to unprofessional; a poorly organized site could make people question the service they’ll receive; no phone number or address could make them walk away.
Order is essential, as is taking the target audience into consideration, and caterting to them. This technically may be your corporate website, but without providing the tools, like a search function or additional programming components, or elements to engage like embedded video or animation, you may not be effectively hooking your audience.
Give a little order and you might get one in return.
Entry by: toni