51 blown away

I agree with #49.

The web isn’t for just blogs and happycogs/ new media designs aren’t going anywhere soon so either up your skills or stick to consulting.

-peace

posted at 07:37 am on November 23, 2007 by steven carlisle

52 Very inspiring, but...

You are principally right in all of your statements and I thank you very much for the enjoyable reading.

However, we shall not condemn those Web sites that seem to ignore usability or design quality. To my mind, there is no such thing as good or bad Web design. We just have to admit that a Web site is just fine if it communicates its message properly, if it does sell its products to the masses as intended, or if it just entertains its users. Who really cares about ugly E-Bay or overloaded Amazon? Many Web sites are extraordinarily successful ignoring Web standards and Usability. In the eyes of their CEOs, Web designers made a good job, too.

posted at 11:12 am on November 23, 2007 by Christian Kuhn

53 Lack of Condemnation

I disagree with the previous statement – because some sites should be frowned upon, if not necessarily condemned because of bad usability or design. The only reason such sites end up crowded is because of the CEO effect – where every single available space must be filled with product advertisement. Surely there is some payback to having sites with everything that’s necessary for using the page available clearly and everything that’s worthless crap being removed – it makes the whole experience of actually browsing more enjoyable, and as anyone who has made a shop (here we go back to the building analogy) knows if it is nicer to browse then people are more likely to buy, and to buy things that they did not go to the site with the intent of buying. Pixels don’t cost money, so leaving some free from advertisement or pointless graphics doesn’t loose money and will probably gain the site a step over the competition.

posted at 05:17 pm on November 24, 2007 by M1ke L

54 Are Web Designers so isolated?

I appreciated a lot your article and I was thinking to translate it in Italian. I would like to read some excerpt to my students. I teach web design at a school of fine art in Italy. My course is addressed to graphic design and media design students.

As far as I’m concerned web design is almost misunderstood both from the students and the academic teachers. They all expect to handle web disciplines with a minimal technical effort, trying to produce web works that resamble to printed catalogues and/or brochures, overlooking completely the importance of interaction and usability design. Very fews are able to take into account the all-changing nature of what must be a good website.

The current business man’s opinion about web design is even worst, even if you are lucky enough to work side by side with an executive that is plenty of experience in the traditional media communication.

Working recently for a company involved in print design and e-learning solutions I got this remark from the boss: “You are spending too much time with the code, nobody care if our website will be accessible or if the folks out there who are using Firefox don’t get the navigation menu rendered properly or not at all by their browsers…My company want to make culture for the common people!…you web designers! You don’t want to share your knowledge with the others. Your are so snob!”
After that event I knew I was working for a frustrated man. I voluntary resign and quit the job.

posted at 09:29 pm on November 24, 2007 by Davide Montellanico

55 may I translate it?

Great insight, these brief words are a great synthesis of what compromised web designers are living and thinking daily. I would really like to translate it into Spanish, so my clients and colleagues may read it, perhaps post it in my site with a link to the original. I would of course send a copy for you to have. What do you think?

posted at 01:11 am on November 25, 2007 by gabriel vivas

56 beautifully said...

but I guess we’re all left wondering how this leaves the wonderful world of web awards. Reinforcing bad behaviour is only going to make things worse for those on the outside who only judge the awards by the brands that endorse them.

Perhaps we should start the “gratuitous flash” awards? I’ve always longed to have a “gratuitous flash” on/off button on our site just to acknowledge that it doesn’t do anything but help to sell into companies that don’t get it (I’m not anti-Flash as I know it can be used appropriately to good effect with some thought, but those jobs are few and far between).

posted at 01:03 pm on November 25, 2007 by Jaya Chakrabarti

57 Understanding Web Design

I should never have ventured onto this page and this topic. I am afraid I will never be able to put together a page again.

There are rules for web design?

Are there rules for breathing and walking?

Everything said in the article was well said and it seemed to make sense — but it is so intimidating.

posted at 06:46 pm on November 26, 2007 by Martin Carbone

58 The Next Level

Internet communication, I firmly believe, is on the verge of a breakout to a better level. It will combine the best attributes of print media, traditional televised media, user interaction, open data, security, privacy, device and operating system independence. It will have very little boundaries on delivery ability or the audience to which it is targeted.

Browsers will become temporary portals. Traditional Web design, both the good and bad as characterized by Zeldman, will become moot.

The framework and delivery will be stand-alone RIAs.

posted at 06:57 pm on November 26, 2007 by C Thacker

59 Addendum

Zeldman—

I will take exception to your interpretation, as I read it, to clients/media/whomever not understanding the Web and its constraints, specifically that their expectation is a bad thing.

I fall back onto Peter Drucker when he said, [paraphrased] “The most important thing in communication is to hear what is not being said.”

I interpret their expectations as not being unreasonable. I ask myself, what is wrong with Internet communication and how can I fix it to meet expectations of its final end-user.

posted at 07:28 pm on November 26, 2007 by C Thacker

60 Untitled

I read .net magazine every month and their pages of hot new sites filled with alluring screenshots always tempt me to write in and ask why they all seem to be Flash based. And rich with illustrations and large images. The message is clear to new designers: you must use Flash! And everyone is on super-fast broadband, so don’t worry about large images!

Note: I respect the magazine and am not dissing it.

I remember at college we were given a famous design book to read (the name of which I forget now) in which the author was working in automobile design way back in the 50s, I think. He reportedly overheard one guy saying something like “slap more chrome on it!” This must surely be echoed today by clients who might say “slap more Flash on it!”. Both chrome and Flash look great, but are mostly redundant from an ergonomic point of view. But when do simple text sites win awards?

posted at 05:43 pm on November 27, 2007 by Chris Hester