Oct 13 2008
What makes good web design? Part I
Web design is an art. Great web design occurs when design and content are seamless and you don’t notice its greatness.
Vincent Flanders, Web Pages That Suck
No truer web design words have been spoken. Notice that the quote mentions both design and content. This will be important to remember as we travel down the path of discovering what truly makes good web design.
So how do you know good web design versus bad web design? How do you create “seamless” design versus clunky design? How do you make your visitors notice your site but “not notice the greatness”? The answers to these questions are not as obvious as you would think. 
The differences between good and bad web design are often times very subtle.
Good web design does not mean any of the following:
- attractive
- pretty
- fun
- simple
- clean
- flashy
- web 2.0
- grungy
- cool
- trendy
To further illustrate this point, let’s take a look at KC The Catalog.
When first visiting the site, things look promising—for about 5 seconds. Sure, there’s a nice flashy element. Sure, the design is somewhat trendy and clean. But what am I being asked to choose from? Is this a clothes catalog? Is this a coat catalog? Is this an evening wear catalog? In fact, the only reason I know it’s some kind of online catalog is because the word ‘catalog’ is in the URL. So, unless you actually have heard of KC The Catalog and know what they are about, you are already lost.
After a few seconds of deciding which “section” to click on, you pick. Again, the image is still pretty clean, still pretty trendy, but it’s the same image that you clicked on. Only now there are two of them: one larger and translucent, the other smaller and full-color. I can’t imagine a reason for this. But I digress.
Once you are “in the catalog” you are given instructions on navigating the page.
- Request information…
- Click and drag…
- zoom
Huh? Could you possibly be more vague? Already I’m fed up with your site. I don’t care how nice, trendy and clean it looks.
Let’s break it down, 10 things style:
1. Auto-play music. This is quickly becoming a huge no-no for web design. It’s disruptive, it’s annoying, and most people’s musical choices for their site usually suck.
2. Vague splash page. Ok, the need for a splash page anyway. Another web design element definitely on it’s way OUT.
3. Opening my “choice” in a new browser window. This is unnecessary for 2 reasons: 1) I don’t need your splash page to remain open, and 2) it’s not cool to hijack someone’s browser. If I wanted to open the link in a new window, I would have.
4. Lack of navigation. This is just plain stupid. I don’t know anyone who is going to use the ridiculous “click and drag corner for next page” to go through the entire catalog. If you have to actually explain how to navigate the site, you are doing something wrong.
5. Request information. Are you kidding me? You’re not going to provide any information on your stuff—you’re going to make me send you an email? Forget it…I’m outta here.
I can’t even bring myself
to go further, and I hope
you are seeing why, even though
KC The Catalog is attractive
on the surface, it is an excellent example
of BAD design.
Be sure to subscribe! What makes good design? Part 2 will be coming soon. And don’t forget to comment. 
Whether you agree or disagree, I’d love to hear what you think.
