Successful Design
There is no such thing as perfect web design, but what constitutes a successful design? I know an easy answer might be that “whatever makes the client or user happy” is a successful design or where “the goals of the company are fulfilled.” But is it really that easy? I think when you break it down to just clients and customers you are forgetting one major element, the designer.
On major websites achieving all the goals of the site is a major task all on its own so I do not mean to belittle the fact that if you fulfill all of these goals you have failed. But successful design has to mean a little more than that. As of right now we are caught in the era of user-centered design (UCD) where everything we design is to be done for the sake of the user. This is very important and will help not only websites, but everyday products. Amazon does almost everything that its users want it to do and the company seems to be doing pretty well so it must be successful design, right?
I would have to say that satisfying the users and the clients is only part of the equation. Too many times as designers I think we neglect our own feelings towards a design. I am going to add another element to the equation of successful design and that is the feelings of the designer on their finished project. I have done websites that did everything the client asked of me. The site got higher rankings in search engines. The growth of the site’s community was exponential over a short period. Yet looking back at it, I am not pleased at all with the design.
Maybe I am just too hard on myself because the time constraints to build and design the site were very short so I know I did the best I could do…I think. So basically, I did what the client wanted, I did what the user wanted, and I did what I could do given the time, yet I look back at it as not being successful. Why? Because I am not pleased with looking at it now. I created a successful design for everyone, but me.
Very rarely do I come across a design that I am proud of doing for an extended period of time.
I suppose that successful design can mean different things to different sets of people. For the user, if they can accomplish what they wanted on the site with relative ease then the design is successful. For a company if the site fulfills all of the company’s goals along with the users then it is a successful design. As for me, a successful design acoomplishes the goals of the user, the company, and myself.
A lot of us are designing websites because that is what we enjoy to do. If we do not begin to recognize that a successful design should take into account how we feel about the design, then I think we begin to despise what we do. And life is really no fun if you can’t enjoy what you are doing. I know this might come across as a selfish viewpoint, but if you can’t enjoy what you do for yourself you really shouldn’t be doing it.
Related reading:
I’m not sure if the first part of equation is correct. I don’t think the designer should give the client or the users what they WANT, the designer should give them what they NEED. It’s a subtle difference, but I think it’s a place the designer can input more of his creativity and knowledge, and it’s the place where the designer can take his pride from. When we give the costumer/users what they want, our design is flawed, when we give them what they need our design is successful. When we give them what they want and not what they need we sell ourself short and we lose our pride in our work and that is no fun.
By Raanan on May 24, 2005 2:04 am
This is precisely the reason why most creative firms hire other creative firms to design own their logos, letterhead, or business cards. To always believe you can do better is a natural and unavoidable feeling in any good designer.
By Mike D. on May 24, 2005 3:05 am
I know exactly what you mean and its something I still struggle to come to terms with but I look at it in a numbr of ways. Firstly - you can suggest, you can recommend and you can justify but if the client insists then it comes down to you either doing it and not putting it on your portfolio or you walk away. Which way you go depends on the comfort level of your finances.
Secondly, what I try and do now is push as hard as I can for what I believe is in the best interest of the clients business goals and then leave it to them. I’ll go with their final choice and save my better work for my personal sites.
Its not an ideal scenario but at then end of the day, most things in life require a compromise and this one helps me stay sane until the day I’m in a position to have a client who listens to me totally instead of getting caught up in fads.
By Kev on May 24, 2005 5:04 am
1) The boss is happy, because you did it the way he wanted it (includes client’s boss)
2) Brand recognition
3) It works
4-optional) If you have follow-up research in place, the numbers show success
Those are in order, and I’m making the assumption that this is corporate design for profit. Use common sense for doing things the boss’s way. It’s principle, not necessarily button pushing (”put it in a blue rectangle”).
I’m an artist. I hate myself for laying out these “business-centric” principles with little regard for art/design/culture. But this is the best approach, as I see it from my experience. The bottom line comes through with these principles.
By Bradley on May 24, 2005 6:33 am
Addition:
Design can almost be too emotionally driven for the individual. Get outside for a while. Spend some time with someone. Give the life in front of the screen a rest, and suddenly you aren’t so burdened when projects fail.
I’m not saying to live a detached life, but a balanced one.
By Bradley on May 24, 2005 6:37 am
If the client (and, to a lesser extent, the users) are happy, isn’t it a little self indulgent to demand that the designer be happy as well?
The client should be happy. This is the core goal of design work, right?
I’m not saying I fully believe this, but it is something that springs to mind when reading this piece.
By Pierce on May 24, 2005 6:44 am
I agree that success is more than just making the client happy. And I don’t think it’s self-indulgent to want the designer to be happy. I’ve worked on many sites that the client was thrilled with, but I would never want to feature on a portfolio. You have to make yourself happy so you can showcase those sites as a sample of your abilities. It doesn’t work to use a ugly site in your portfolio, and then disclaim it, because that is what the client wanted. That makes you look more like stooge that will do anything to get work, rather than a professional who is able to guide and educate a client to an appropriate design.
By Brian Sweeting on May 24, 2005 7:33 am
Let’s not forget that we went through a phase when Flash first came out, when designers designed for themselves - and what a disaster that was!
I’m quite glad I haven’t seen one of those endless Flash intros for a while (you remember, looked great but did nothing?)
I guess being a designer is about setting, managing and exceeding customer expectation - not about pleasing ourselves!
By Richard Leader on May 24, 2005 8:18 am
Mike D.
“”Very rarely do I come across a design that I am proud of doing for an extended period of time.”
This is precisely the reason why most creative firms hire other creative firms to design own their logos, letterhead, or business cards. To always believe you can do better is a natural and unavoidable feeling in any good designer.”
I had *always* wondered why creative firms hired others to do their own website. It always bugged me, but that makes sense.
By JohnO on May 24, 2005 9:20 am
Paul, I am actually curious what some of your designs for clients look like. I am surprised you don’t have a portfolio floating around anywhere.
By Bryan on May 24, 2005 9:30 am
Scrivs,
I agree with your take. I think all creatives, be they web designers, artists, or craftsmen go through the same thing. If we truly care about the work we are producing, we want it to be perfect all around. We it to meet our clientsbusiness needs, give their customers what they are looking for, and be visually stunning (even if minimalist).
Your an MBA (aren’t you?), bust out those old economics books. The problem is that we live in a world of limited resources. Our clients don’t have the budget or the time to allow us in, most cases, to tweak the hell out of things. If we were on projects for extended periods of time, or had several months to refine things we could do a much better job. Barring that, we do the best we can within the time and budget that we are given. It’s all about balance. Finding the optimal point at which both design and budget (time and money) intersect.
Hell, I’ve been trying to redesign my site (which is in dire need of a fresh face) for months now. I am having trouble because a day after I concept something, I trash it cause it just doesn’t feel right. But I’m not deriving any revenue from it. I also have unlimited time to work on it and don’t have to worry about budget.
By Keith H. on May 24, 2005 9:41 am
Selfish? Not at all. Commons sense. How can you be an effective person, professional, whatever, if you aren’t even remotely personally pleased in some way shape or form? Whether it’s the small victory in getting your client to stick to a colour choice even if the rest of your decisions were over-ridden, or whether you garner awards and praise for a personal project you’re dear to… half of the battle in business and in life is mental.
You can’t be useful to anyone if you aren’t useful to yourself, first.
By Lea on May 24, 2005 1:03 pm
That’s why designing for yourself can be the hardest thing.
Is this all right? No.
I can do better.
(Repeat to fade)
By Tom on May 24, 2005 8:36 pm
“if you build it, they will come”
i saw this blog in passing and thought i would leave my mark..
i at no time in the past and more than likely in the future will ever truly call myself an “expert” in the world of web development and design.. i more often than not hate nearly 90% - 95% of my work.. and i know deep down that i will never learn every language that is written..
i don’t think you can limit yourself to just the design.. as a web designer it encompasses so much more than a graphic or a table.. we may have to meet the goals outlined by a client but we as designers can truly show our artform in any design..
i know that most clients are not asking for SEO services, mainly due to the fact they don’t know what it details.. nor are they asking for dynamic database driven content.. nor do they ask me to comment every line of code i write to help the designer after me know what i did.. nor will they ever understand or fully appreciate the fact that their outlined designed has been formatted to meet every HTML, CSS and god only knows what, web standard out there..
so in that i can find some good in webdesign
By Derek on May 27, 2005 11:26 pm
At the risk of sounding like I’m plugging myself: If you’re bored, check out my take…
By Martin on May 30, 2005 7:49 am