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info@neology.caPage 1 of 18
An Environmental Review of Website Design | 12.2008
This environmental review of websites across various businesssectors demonstrates merits in online brand identity, design andinteractivity; profiling sites that may not be the most artisticallydesigned, or even the best functioning, yet each one clearly raisesthe bar in meeting their marketing and communications objectives.
What creates good design online? Is it a matter of making a website functional enough forthe broadest common denominator of users, or is it a more complex task?
Arguably, although website design is one of most accessible design fields in which to gain a reasonable level of competency, the changes of the moment are so profound and far reaching that website design is gaining acomplexity that it has seldom had in the past.Given that the idea of online design is now laden with technical subtleties and that it serves as a keycomponent of workflow, usability and communicative understanding it is more critical to evaluate the role of design in meeting brand and business needs more thoroughly today than ever before.In this initial
Neology
environmental study paper, the author takes a keen eye to the review of a cross-sectionof websites and provides a thumbnail narrative on how design takes on this more mechanized andmetaphorical form in today’s best website designs. The comparative websites have been organized into aninitial benchmark of “best practice” and five main business sectors, each with its own unique markets anddemands:A.
 
Benchmark (for Best Practices Average)B.
 
Sporting Goods and RetailC.
 
Automotive and ManufacturingD.
 
News and EntertainmentE.
 
ArchitectureF.
 
Tourism and Transport
 
 
info@neology.caPage 3 of 18
i. What Creates Good Design Online?
Could it be that there are three primary pillars that support goodwebsite design? This review suggests that the grouping of Presentation, Communication and Interaction are notable in theirinfluence on websites achieving success or falling short.
 
1.
Presentation
 
Presentation governs many initialimpressions of design successonline; it is the look, the feel, theemotions called up by the use of colour, line and form to guide theeye, to respond and visually speakto the user on mouse-over.Good presentation never detractsfrom content, but supports it,supports understanding and itbuilds the metaphorical ideas andmessaging semiotics thatdetermine the response to the siteby the collective user unconscious.Good presentation is also never ameans to its own end; it shouldembrace and reflect the colours,forms and themes that havemeaning and credibility in societyand use these elements asshorthand for understanding.
2.
 
Communication
 
Communication is the immediatefollow-on from Presentation.Fundamentally, the goal of awebsite today is no different thanit has always been; it is a mediumthrough which communication isfacilitated and ideas exposed.Good communication manages toprovide just enough motivatingdata to fill the containers set bypresentation, it adds greaterbreadth of understanding to theoverall website philosophy andgives knowledge to the user.Good communication serves asboth an end and a means; it is atonce the data sought by websiteusers, but also has an inherent roleas a director and wayfinder toother communication within andwithout the website.
3.
 
Interaction
Interaction is a curious mix of bothPresentation and Communication;it is the technical and visualprocess flow that segues andshuttles the user in, through andout of the website. Goodinteraction wins and keeps users.Good interaction is a deft touch,silently shuttling the user to-and-fro and providing the motive forcebehind the absorption of presentation and communication.It lives in clicks, mouse-overs, dataentry; it is both passive and active.Good interaction will immediatelymake the user feel at home, itbuys time and draws the user intothe website. By contrast, badinteraction is off-putting, rejectingand pushing users away from thewebsite.
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