I think I know my customers very well. Some I have had business relationships with for the last 15 years. Do I think I know their customers well. Would I honestly try and second guess them. No, not really.
It’s not that I don’t have the experience, design skills, or the details of what they tend to be like.
In the old media industry (print) all you really had to do was get the design right. Follow the rules and your design would sing.
However the web is not print – bet you have heard that before. Designing a web site is more than just a perfect visual design. A design that follows all the principles of good design.
Earlier in the week a series of warnings about the web browser Internet Explorer was issued by several governments, including the Australian federal government. This issue isn’t a hoax, it’s a genuine concern.
That big “e” application that you use to access the web has a number of security flaws that are starting to be widely exploited. This means when you use an Internet Explorer browser you are in real danger of having your secure information compromised. So maybe this is a good time to stop using Internet Explorer and consider the alternatives.
Web strategies are one of those misunderstood beasts of the web business world. Something you should consider if you are serious about your web site. Yes, I can hear you going, “why do I need this waste of time, worthless document”. That’s what I used to think too. However I believe you will see things differently, web site strategies are about saving money.
It’s interesting that people still consider that the design and development of a website should be treated like a software development project. Most websites you see are information based by nature, they are not software.
The same approaches that are used to build a word processer or a specialised CRM (Customer Relationship Management) should not be used for a website. Look at it from the core view of what they are used for. Your desktop software is used as a tool to acheive a task. When your website is centered around information – be that the delivery of information as a public service or to sell your products, it s still information at it’s core.
On last Tuesday (15th Dec) the Australian government elected to move forward and implement a filter on the Internet.
We are very concerned about this. For the first time 15 years the very nature of the freedom of the Internet is being threatened.
You will hear in the press and from the government that this is mainly to protect the Australian people from the evils of the Internet.
Just think about that for a minute, we have not had any protection for the last 15 years that the Internet has been in commercial operation. Why do we need it now?
Today the 3rd of December is International Day of People with Disability. This is to celebrate the worldwide recognition of the achievements and contributions of people with disabilities.
I know there was big breakfast at Burswood today celebrating this day. However beyond the breakfasts, picnics and the like, what are you really doing for people with disabilities.
It’s interesting to look on how professional web designers and developers have worked on the web in the past, and the way they work now; as I did in my presentation at the Edge of the Web conference in Perth.
On the web we have moved from a very inflexible approach, that was seemingly dictated by the old school ways of the information industry at the time to the flexible business and customer focus of an agile rapid development methodology.
Today 12th November 2009 is World Usability Day. The theme for this year is designing for a sustainable world. Something we often don’t think about with web design.
“So what”, I hear you say. “What does usability and sustainability have to do with me?” Often in our efforts to make things more usable we end up with a finished product that is not sustainable. One that just ends up contributing to our increasingly throwaway society. It’s about designing so we don’t use resources that are not renewable.
In these lean times there is often a temptation to ignore issues such as web accessibility, especially when the budget is tight. Let’s be honest here even with a holistic approach making a web site fully accessible can be a costly exercise, often way outside the budget of medium to small business. This is particularly true if you are considering a few rounds of accessibility testing as well.
So what can you do. As you know it is a legislative requirement all over the western world to adhere to a degree of accessibility for a web site. Sure you can go through the usual checklist of accessibility issues, work out the ones that are within your budget and leave it at that. Yes you will have ticked that box off. However in some cases your web site may still not be accessible despite your limited, but best intentions.
You may or may not have heard of the term User Experience. I bet you are thinking – what is this User Experience and how does it relate to my web site.
Remember when you used to go to your favourate cafe, they would remember your name, the barista would even know your coffee order, and would often make it up for you with just a nod. The wait staff would chat away and even tell you of exclusive specials that were not on the boards or menu. You would swear the servings you got were bigger too. Over all you’re not just visiting a cafe, you were visiting old friends. It’s just a pleasant experience, somewhere you would recommend to others.
It’s really quite scary to see the extent of which people believe or are influenced by the sensationalistic media about the Global Financial Crisis.
Yes some very large banks and businesses have lost a lot of virtual money, in terms of the stock market. However, step back for a moment and consider the effect that the global financial crisis is really having on day to day business. If you ignore the irresponsible sensationalistic media spinning that we are being fed, is there really a day to day problem. It’s all about confidence, your confidence.
We are an independent web strategy consultancy based in Perth, Western Australia. We love assisting business, government agencies and not for profit organizations in designing web sites that have a high degree of content findability, usability, and accessibility. Our projects always meet high quality standards being compliant with various professional web standards and industry best practice.
