Functional Web Sites!
Flash – Video – One of a kind splash the images up there
– multi-million dollar designed sites – Yes they may be nice
to look at. They may have their place to showcase new products or technology,
and they are here to stay. But should every business who wants a website
listen to all the hype, spend the money, and put up that kind of site.
Sure make them look nice, but that is not the main thing.
I believe that as the internet goes more mainstream, the main concerns
of a company website are functionality, speed of loading, user friendliness,
and content. I know many web designers take great pride in 'original'
content, and I do believe there is a place for that. But I think for most
business, the website is not the first point of contact (at least not
the non-tech companies). Companies should do an evaluation of what they
are trying to accomplish with their website. From there they decide on
a budget using cost/benefit analysis, and then decide on what and how
the website should look. A straight forward website at a reasonable cost
with low maintenance is what is needed.
Real world examples of this philosophy abound. Take a look inside of
Rogers video, Sam the Record man, Shoppers Drug Mart, even Wal-Mart and
Home Depot (I named well known stores so you would know what they looked
like, but even your local private hardware store is this way), - they
all have functional stores. Walk up and down the aisles, are they laid
out in an orderly way? When you walk in the door, do 20 people jump out
and put on a Broadway show (Flash intros I feel are like this). Retail
stores are laid out to allow you to shop in the most efficient way possible.
And office buildings are set up to enable personnel to get their work
done. They have as their core idea – functionality.
Yes they do try to make the stores look appealing, they add a few extras
here and there to keep the appearance fresh. Occasionally they redesign
the layout and the themes to keep them modern. But they are designed for
function not flair, purpose not passion. And business and corporate websites
should be the same.
In contrast - some restaurants, specialty shops, gift shops, are made
to look original, and fancy. They do have entertainment, flashy signs,
etc to intrigue you in and get you to stay awhile. For a website where
the purpose is marketing and advertising for a unique company or product
that has to show itself off, then make it original and fancy. But these
types of stores are not the norm – rather the exception.
I believe that this will be the new trend on the internet, especially
as cost for designing go up, and more companies want to have a website
for functional reasons like service and product info, employee communication,
etc. Websites are moving away from being the end all and be all of a company,
and starting to become what they should have been all along- a tool to
be used to create efficiency in a business. Websites can be used for marketing,
internal and external communication, selling products or any other use
(some uses, I am sure are not even discovered yet). But above all they
must be functional.
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