The Internet is a visual experience.
As a designer, it is all too easy to focus entirely on the appearance of a site, and forget that the site must also function correctly. I take pride in the websites we create not only being graphically pleasing to the eye, but being easy to use and reliable.
There is no point in making a shopping website which is graphically stunning to advertise products if the shopper has difficulty in getting to the checkout; or finds that upon reaching the checkout that the site falls apart and error messages fill the screen.
On the other hand, if a site is disorganised and looks unprofessional, this will reflect badly on the company who it is promoting and the professionalism of the rest of their service. If I entered a supermarket where the sign was tatty; the staff scruffy and unfriendly; and the labels incorrect, I doubt I would go back, in fact I'm not sure I would finish my shopping at all.
When I spend money on a product or service, I want to feel confident that I am getting the best for my investment. I make a big effort to ensure my clients feel comfortable that they are getting the most professional, capable and reliable service possible.
Good graphic design + functionality = a good website = confident customers and repeat visits.
When you add good graphic design and solid functionality, you have a website which will give your customers a confidence in you and your service which will keep them coming back.
There are some inspirational sites on the Web fusing both of these essential criteria, giving their companies the most solid platform on which to launch their products. However, if you are not a web designer, it's very difficult to appreciate the full scope of the work which goes into these sites, you don't see the countless hours of pouring over the most detailed code needed to make them as perfect as they can be.
Here is a selection of current websites that function according to the needs of the business:
Links
Wikipedia Gumtree Ebay Amazon Love Film My Space You Tube Lulu
These sites are a great example of a perfect balance between design and functionality. They are also a good cross section of sites that we could group under the umbrella of "Web 2.0". This concept is summed up well by a guy called David H. Numan in his blog:
"What is web 2.0 in a nutshell? I believe it is simply an emerging mindset of creative people on how to best use and improve the Internet technologies available today."
He found his information from an interesting article by Tim O'Reilly.
