The Value of Clear Writing

Many people think of design in purely visual terms. This kind of thinking can influence everything from the kind of car we buy to the food we eat. We're attracted by things that look good, and style is, in fact, an important component of good design. But it's not the whole picture.

A great-looking car with critical safety issues would not be well designed. Nor would an innovative packaging system that didn't keep food fresh. Good design not only means that something looks good, but that it performs well, that it's efficient and that it's reliable.

I have an ice cream scoop that fits this description perfectly. Designed by Michael Graves, it's heavy and solid, making perfectly round scoops even when the dessert is solidly frozen, and its polished surface never sticks. It's also ergonomic and durable -- a simple product that does its job well. Nothing complicated.

When it comes to the Web, one aspect of good design that's often overlooked is writing. And yet the content of your site is what will ultimately make it succeed or fail as a business tool. Visual presentation is important -- to establish credibility, as an expression of your brand, and to give appropriate structure to your content -- but the content itself is fundamental.

Unfortunately, many people write website content as an afterthought. It doesn't have to be complicated -- indeed, it shouldn't be, as people read more slowly on screen than on paper -- but it ought to be thoughtfully considered as a core component of design.

In general, writing for the Web should be:

• Clear and brief. People who use the Web a lot get in the habit of moving quickly and don't like to read lengthy texts (with a few exceptions). Help them learn what they need to know with minimal effort.
• Correct. English isn't everyone's field of expertise, but we all know someone who's good at it. Have your content proofread, because errors will both undermine your credibility as a professional and lengthen the time required to understand the material.
• Well organized. Judicious use of headings, bold text and lists makes it easier for both humans and search engines to capture the essential points on a page.
• User-centric. Address the questions that your visitors are asking, rather than just telling them what you want them to hear. Use the kind of language they use, not industry jargon (unless your audience is likely to be using such niche terms when searching).

When you undertake a website project, consider the total package. Don't hire anyone who is just an artist, a programmer, or a businessperson. It takes attention to detail in every area to make a product that's truly well designed, whether the end result is as simple as an ice cream scoop or as complex as a building.

Walking a Mile in Someone Else's Shoes

One of the values we try to live by at CWS is user-centric design. That is, we believe that websites and Web-based applications are most effective when they're designed to make the tasks performed by end users as easy as possible. This may sound obvious, but in reality it's much easier said than done.

People tend to assume that others basically think like themselves, and it's very difficult to overcome that feeling. In the same way that a filmmaker might have a hard time watching a movie without analyzing the lighting and camera angles that the rest of us take for granted, the different groups of people using a site will come with different sets of assumptions.

This can be a trap both for the people who create websites and those who own the content. Programmers can think of a site in terms of infrastructure, or let technology drive design in place of experience. Business owners or other stakeholders may be more concerned about what they want to say than what the end user wants to know. Thinking about a site solely from our own perspective can handicap a great idea.

This principle applies both to design in general, content writing (the most overlooked component of good design) and to search engine optimization. There may be a big difference between the search terms that a business owner thinks are applicable to his website and those that his customers actually use. It doesn't do any good if a site performs well for searches on "mechanical contractor" but consumers are only looking for "heating repair." In the same way, a site that gives a passionate description of product benefits but never answers questions about price may drive away people who are doing research to build a shortlist of potential vendors.

There are many formal processes and tools to help you put yourself in a user's shoes (personas and use cases, for example), and we can help you walk through these, but the best way to start is simply talking to the people who will use the site or application being designed. Find out what people love and hate about the tools they use now.

Customer loyalty comes from giving people what they want. As Zig Ziglar has famously said, "You will get all you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want."