Business & Web Design Philosophy
Fundamentals, and how they effect you
Design Philosphy
- Web sites should be easy to navigate. Your site's visitors should not have to hunt for information or feel lost.
- Web sites should be viewable on any browswer and operating system. Whether your visitor's are using Internet Explorer, some other browser, or are blind and using a site reader, they should have easy access to the information on your pages. I'll never create a site forcing a visitor to use only one browser.
- Web pages should load quickly. While the latest bells and whistles can look nice and be fun, frequently, it increases the amount of time the page loads. No one likes to wait for a web page to load and many use the "back" button to leave that site.
- Web sites should look pleasant and clean. These days, people prefer nicer looking web sites. This also means text on pages should be brief and arranged in a manner where the information is easy to find. A cluttered web page loses visitors.
- Web page text should be brief as possible. Frequently, surfers do not like to scroll through long pages of information. If the information can be broken up into multiple pages, or linked in a manner the surfer can jump down the page and back up, the web surfer is happier. Admittedly, there are situations where this is unavoidable.
Business Philosphy
- Building a web site is a team exercise. A web designer can not create an outstanding web site working in a vacuum. Therefore, the more I know about you and your business, the better I can create a web site reflecting the business's style. Much of the written information may need to come from you, since you know more about your busines than I do. If you are uncomfortable writing, I may assist in this process.
- I want your site to be successful. No one wants a site that doesn't help their organization. I'd rather your site was a great hit, and I'll do my best to make it that way. This will also require assistance on your part, and I'll let you know what steps you can take to better market your site.
- Web sites are a great asset for any organization. Growing numbers of people will not work with a business that does not have a web site. This is because they want to be able to view information about your products and services online, before choosing to work with you. Don't lose a potential customer by lacking a web site.
- Call a web designer for business and non-profit web sites. While HTML, XHTML & CSS are very easy to write, it takes months and years of practice to learn to write it correctly and cleanly. Additionally, an understanding of target demographics and art is key to creating a site attractive to your audience. If you don't want to look like an amateur business, don't have an amateur make your site.
- I don't like spam. I reserve the right to refuse to work with any business that uses spam as a means of "advertising". Email is not free. This means: the more email is sent, the more money ISPs and web hosts must spend on mail servers, causing rates for those services to increase. Internet users (your potential customers) do not like spam. ISPs and web hosts blacklist those spammers they catch. For both of us to be successful, it is best to only send email to customers that choose to receive emails from your business.
- Knowledge is power. I want you to understand the process of creating a web site, maintaining it, and how to draw customers. The more you undertand this information, the better your site will be and the more business you will draw. I want to help you succeed!
