Details
This is a re-post of a blog post I wrote for another blog in 2007, which is now defunct. The post itself is sort of timeless though so figured I could put it on this blog as well, if nothing else to archive it.
Just tying together an e-mail I received with an article I read and my general thinking of late (which was actually based on my flat, and what isn’t working in it, though it is shiny enough), I think we (as a generic mass of web site creators) too often overlook “the little things”, all of which combined create the overall feel, or lack of, for a product.
Looking at a forest from afar usually generate “big, green” and even “over there” when someone describes it whilst not being in it. If you ask someone who actually is in the forest what they see, they look at leaves, branches, roots sticking up, rock formations, butterflies, birds and their singing, and all sorts of things, and they are pretty detailed in their description. Quite often it is that level of detail that forms the foundation for their feelings towards the subject matter, good or bad.
Another angle
This has had me thinking lately about approaching design of web sites from the other angle, and to this end the e-mail I refer to, that was pointing to this article over at Think Vitamin written by Paul Boag, came in rather perfectly timed to my inbox. Paul says it a lot better than I could (please follow/read the links) but the consensus was basically to look at a site design not starting from the landing page or “home page”, but from the lower level content pages and work your way “up” to the home page. The theory being those pages amass the main bulk of content of the site anyways, so we’d better get those right, right? Besides, you don’t know where the user enters the site, do you?
This is where it tied into my own thinking of late; never finding enough time to actually design my own various personal sites I had been thinking I perhaps should start with the little things; favicon, search form field and button, comment forms, list styles etc, and that it all, when put together, would look really cool (in my mind at least). This is where I also started realising that quite a lot of what we try to do (not only for my personal sites, but as web professionals), in the end, boils down to forms, which isn’t the sexiest of topics, but clearly one of importance to get absolutely right.
Different priorities
Measure success
I mean my designer colleagues would like sites that “look good”, me as a techie would like a site that “works well”, but what clients most often ask us for involves forms in one way or another, and said forms are often after thoughts to the design and the function of the site. In fact, pretty much the entire exercise of the site(s) often boil down to a sign-up form, a send-to-a-friend form, order forms, contact forms etc. It is all, not surprisingly really, very business led.
If it looks nice, well…nice. If it works well, well…fine. “How many users signed up?“, “How many more units have I sold?” and “Which of my old customers signed up for the new product?” are all questions it will all boil down to for the client when answering to their boss regarding Return Of Investment which is the only thing the boss really cares about.
Your site visitor is a potential friend – treat them well
This is of course where Khoi Vinh’s post about an upcoming book regarding forms (yep, those are 3 separate links) struck a chord with me. That post links off to another site by the book author as well as another article on the subject of Forms For Financial Institutions, both which highlight problems, and actual failings leading to customer drop off, with forms. And yes, you can probably learn a thing or two, even if your day job isn’t about financial institutions.
It also ties in nicely with my campaign at work in trying to get my colleagues to push back on clients that request massive sign-up forms “just in case” or “because they can [ask for it]“, for which I’m using 37 Signals Ryan Singer’s, of Basecamp fame, excellent session at FOWD London 2007 as ammunition, and you can find his presentation over here.
Not Rocket Science, is it?
Now, Ryan just approaches the sign-up process with a logical and clear mind and a load of common sense, but my oh my was it refreshing! Simple things as
“it is more difficult to make things up than to tell the truth”
and
“make it easy for the users to sign up and play around”
all the way to
“Only ask for more details when it is needed. The users don’t care about your product, they care about how cool they look when they are successful solving their task [with your product]“.
Rocket Science
That last one can be a sticking point for clients. The realisation that customers actually might not value the clients brand as much-ly as the client does sometimes seems like a mind hurdle for the client. It is only when you realise this though, and that the customers might turn to the competition, especially if they don’t have a 7 page form to fill in, where it might actually affect the bottom line. Better get those forms right eh?
Small things to keep in mind
It could also be that the competitions favicon in the customers bookmarks leads the eyes. It could be any number of small things. So do yourself a favour for your next project:
- Design from the ground up, create content pages before you create the main landing page.
- Remember the forms, their layout (in different browsers…yes, do test…), and please please please think about where the error messages go on the screen.
- Of course, style your forms so the are appealing and simple to fill in in the first place.
- Create your favicon (yeah, I’m a big fan of those)
- Yes, the site icons does matter.
- …as does the hover states.
…so yes, of course, the Devil is in the details.
Have any more suggestions or comments on what usually is forgotten but shouldn’t be, or that perhaps have heightened your browsing experience lately? Please let me know. 
