vowe dot net :: Site redesign day

Site redesign day

by Volker Weber

No, not here. But in many other places. :-)

Yesterday I talked about a few very basic design mistakes, that I have witnessed at a few fellow websites. Suddenly everyone seems to be changing their sites. Most interestingly those, who have the least reason to do so.

Please understand that I do not think I have the Rosetta stone for good web design. I can only say what pleases my own eye right now. This has changed over the years many times. My current thinking is that I need to leave away as much decoration as I can. Others have convinced me to add things back. John for instance has asked me after the last redesign to add my vowe logo back to the page. That was gone for a few months.

I have also read a few comments, that say design does not matter at all. People are interested in the content only. I disagree with all due respect. A very good posting has said, that a good design is transparent to the user. It does not interfer with the reader's intent to get to the content. That is more inline with my own current thinking.

Is there one perfect design? Most likely not. Do we have a need for different designs? Absolutely. You would not want to live in a city where all houses look the same, or would you?

So, keep on redecorating. And please, don't wear a paisley tie over a striped shirt with a plaid jacket. Design does matter. It also matters when you are only there for the food.

Your mileage may vary.

2003-05-07 :: email :: twitter :: facebook :: google+

Comments

Personally I don't re-design because I *need* to, more because I get bored quickly, and like to "freshen up the house" a couple of times a year. What a flighty thing I am! ;-)

On a more serious note, I'm still very much a beginner with Domino development (as opposed to "Notes" development), so I regard re-designing as a way of clearing out the crufty code and coming up with something "better" — even if that actually just means a more efficient back-end / underlying design, rather than a nifty UI.

Ben Poole, 2003-05-07 16:28

well said :) "form follows function" (Gropius) is still one of the best guidelines ever uttered..

simon, 2003-05-07 18:06

I add my 2 cents on my blog today (and took off the lines on the left-hand column). Don't take anything too seriously :-)

Chris King, 2003-05-07 19:14

BTW, you're at the top of my favorites menu now. I really like the site.

Chris King, 2003-05-07 19:16