Many people think that if they can put text and photos together and create something which they like, they think they are ready to declare themselves web designers.
It’s just like saying that just because I know what pills to pop, I am ready to become a medical doctor.
So how does one know if one has hired a true web designer and not someone who thinks he or she is?
Small things.
Small things which matter, in this case. Things which only real web designers agonise over.
Take the www for instance. I get upset when I type a URL without the www and it gives me a site not found message. Whether there is or isn’t a www before the domain name is a small matter but it is an important small matter. Many people are so used to typing the domain direct onto the browser address bar without the www. You would think web designers would at least pay attention to issues like this.
Nope. They don’t.
The other thing which I get annoyed is that I don’t want to click a link only to have it start executing itself – cases like these are usually PDF files which start ‘opening’ by themselves.
I would appreciate it if the designer could at least warn me beforehand about the link I am about to click and what type of file it is, and how big it is. I don’t like surprises especially when I am surfing and anything that sets my Adobe Reader off and opening is very much reprehensible.
Small thing but says a lot about how much designers think about design and usability when they do what they do.
The same goes for clicking on an “email us” link. All of a sudden, your Outlook Express calls up an email and you are expected to type your mail and send it off. The problem is, in today’s world of spam and ridiculous offers and what-not, why would we want to open ourselves to bombardment by using our real email or work email address?
I for one would prefer to use a Yahoo or Gmail account for this. In any case, I need a tolerable amount of anonymity because I cannot trust every single website I come across. It pays to be cautious. A better solution would be to use a form on your website, where users can key in their name and email and their query. It makes life easier for everyone.
I guess sometimes web designers do get carried away with the pomp and pizzazz of what they do that they forget the real objective of a website. Of course it helps that they’re sometimes designing for people/companies who don’t even know why they’re going online with a website.
After all, all you really need is – pure content. Not marketese. Not PR. Not empty promises.