Crafting the Perfect Web Environment

What makes a perfect web environment? It is more than just a great look. It must have the right look for the purposes it is designed to fulfill. To design the perfect web environment, a designer needs to focus on the purpose of the site as well as on making it look nice. The skills that a designer gains with experience will help the designer make good looking sites, but it is the focus on the purpose of the site that will help the designer home in on the right look for that particular web environment.

Designs that Fit

The key to selecting the right style for a particular site is to know the product inside and out. A designer who doesn’t know the product is ignoring the most important tool available. The more a designer knows about the product, the more appropriate the design will be. Think about what you need to know to find the right pair of shoes. You need to know your shoe size number, but a really good fit also requires you to consider other factors like the width, height, and shape of your foot. But just fitting well is not enough. To find the right shoe, you also need to find a style that works for you (the one wearing the shoe) and this has to be considered in light of the activity for which it will be worn. If you are planning to run a marathon, dress shoes won’t work, no matter how good looking they are.

Similarly, for a website, looking good and running smoothly is not enough. The perfect web environment also needs to fit the purpose for which it is being designed. Here are a couple of questions web designers should ask themselves about the product they are designing for. 1) Who will be interested in this product? Young or old, male or female, the business man or carpenter? A designer who knows the target demographics for the product will be leaps and bounds ahead of one who does not. 2) What are the characteristics of the product? Is it simple or complex, clean or rugged, flashy or conservative? How is this product better than the alternatives? The more the designer knows, the easier it will be to craft designs that fit.

Design Guided by Knowledge

Once the designer knows the product forward and backward, they can take action and apply what they know. The designer should make the site appealing to the the target demographic. This does not always correspond with what looks best to the designer. Designers should also try to incorporate the products characteristics into the web design. If the product is fun, the site should be fun. If the product is the next big thing in the technology world, the site better be also. Imagine going to Apple Computers website and finding a wood paneled background with wild life running around! Designers should take what they know of the product and apply it to the web design.

Preparing for Change

For the perfect web environment, change is inevitable. As tastes and fashions come and go, the needs of the site will change with time. The target demographic might change, and new versions of the product or new marketing campaigns may dictate a new strategy. This is why it is important for designers to create their web environments to facilitate later changes.

A designer should never be afraid to make necessary adjustments, regardless of how personally invested in the design they have become. If the style does not fit, the site’s effectiveness will be compromised. A designer should focus on a style that if effective, regardless of its look. If the design is flexible, and changes are made as needed, the designer can ensure that the perfect web environment remains perfect. This requires an ongoing commitment, but it is the consistent quality that will win the most customers.

Danny Holley is a web design Utah expert and writer. He is also the co-founder and lead designer at the Utah web design firm, Superior Design Inc.