Hi Flying Startups,
I listen to the PodCast and think it’s great, very informative and inspirational. However (bit of a rant now) whilst listening to episode 3 (9/29/06) I noticed some "Web Designer bashing", so I decided to try and enlighten the listeners a little more about the web design industry.
You mentioned excessive costs of website design...
This, like any other industry or service, depends entirely on where you look. Big design agencies usually charge a lot more, as they have large overheads and you are paying for the name and a professional service (not to mention a good few peoples salaries).
You mentioned people should learn to "design" their own website...
Sure, this is a great idea, if they have the time and will to learn how to design and build a website properly. Time they could be spending on promoting their own business and products. It has taken me years to learn what I know now, and the industry is constantly changing.
There are many areas to designing and building a website (here are just three)…
1. Professional Design:
This affects how your company is portrayed and perceived by visitors. Bad design makes your company or product look cheap/bad. Good design will be the difference between making a sale or not. If your site looks like it was made using Word in an hour or two, you WILL lose many sales. Professional design makes your company look professional, experienced and trustworthy, which equals many more sales.
2. Graphical User Interface:
This affects the ease of use or how easy it is to navigate your site. Bad GUI design can make a site unusable and visitors WILL leave within seconds. It is proven that visitors typically visit a site for one thing - information. If this is not easily accessible immediately, visitors leave the site and go to a competitor’s site (usually within 5-10 seconds).
3. Search Engine Optimisation (so the site actually gets visitors):
This is a huge area in itself. There are thousands of search engines, and many different ways to make your site rate higher in the rankings. The only way to do this properly takes time as this is constantly changing too. That’s one of the things you are paying a web designer for, their experience. So you don’t have to spend hours, weeks, months or years learning all of this stuff.
Some people seem to think design is something just anyone can do, with no experience!
Whist design IS a personal thing (everyone has their own idea of what good design is), there are certain things that need to be taken into consideration when building a website. It’s not just design. It’s also programming, usability, colour theory, download speed, search engine ranking, keywords, features and functionality, competitor ratings etc. This is something that also takes years of learning through your own mistakes (or at least has taken me) and cannot be just thrown together in a day or two.
Whilst it is true, that almost anyone can learn the BASICS of how to “design” and build a simple website in a relatively short time (usually days), chances are it will not be designed and built to the optimal ability you want your company, product or service to portray. In most cases it will be very basic compared to what it could potentially be, and usually breaks many design rules that adversely affect the loading times, usability and many other issues that only a designer of many years experience will be looking for and know how to avoid.
Whereas design rules are flexible, they do exist for a reason. They help guide you to what is more usable, professional looking, and help your site get better results in both marketing efforts and search engines. This takes experience.
If I may offer some simple advice on the Flying Startups site.
The first, and major thing that affects download speed, and most importantly the users computer (processor) speed, is the large background image (see screenshot image attached). This makes the site virtually un-scrollable without almost freezing the users CPU (computer processor). I would remove the large background and use a smaller background image in one specific location, like this example: www.selfthought.com
This will help the site use a LOT less processing power and make the site much quicker to use and load.
As I said before, I am a big fan of the PodCast show. I just wanted to clarify the role of web designers a bit more, as they are not all overcharging cowboys looking for a quick buck. Some of us want to build lasting relationships through keeping the customers happy, getting return business and more customers through word of mouth, and creating win-win situations for both parties.
I hope this is of some help to your listeners, even if only helping you to save time or to have a better understanding of the design industry in general, and website issues involved in website design.
So who am I to be telling you about all this stuff?
I am a designer with 17 years experience in print and web design & development. You can see some examples of my past work here: www.KTdesigner.com
PS. I wouldn’t try to fix my own car, do my own plumbing, fix my own teeth, or build my own house. All of which can cost varying amounts (sometimes expensive) but usually pricing is not questioned in these industries.
So why is it, some people continue to question the value of quality design work. It’s not just sitting at a computer pressing a few buttons (as I’ve heard it described before) but something that takes years to perfect. It’s constantly changing and there’s always more to learn. I pay other people to do things I can’t do. Design is just another service and should be recognised for what it is, a specialist subject that takes years to develop.
Thank you for reading.
KTdesigner.
No comments:
Post a Comment