Simplicity in web design is hard to pull off
June 10th, 2008
One of the hardest things to do as a designer is make a website look good while still being easy to understand and navigate. Google became Google by following this principle. To this day the home page has remained the same: a logo and a search bar with very little else. Most of us require more from the user than just a search — how can we accomplish this?
Krug’s landmark book on usability tells us to “Don’t Make Me Think!” Because he won’t - and neither will the rest of your viewers!
For those of you familiar with Tom Peters, one thing he speaks of is “elegant systems”. I am a big believer of elegant systems. You know your system is elegant when it is logical and intuitive what to do next. Remove the guesswork and hoops and just let people get where they need to go. Doing this with website design is never easy. Doing this on a budget is even harder.
If you are looking for a fresh look for your website and want to make sure it works well one thing you may consider is web templates. Finding a provider that offers a wide selection can be difficult but DreamTemplates is now offering 300 free templates to pick from. They are elegant. Easy and provocative on the eyes. Professional and clear in intention. In other words, DreamTemplates offers exactly what you should be looking for.
I have to admit I was skeptical of DreamTemplate at first. I’ve seen many template companies come and go over the years but their clear focus on usable design really caught my interest. They have such a wide selection it would be difficult to not find exactly what you are looking for. And the template download includes the source PhotoShop files so making modifications is fast and easy.
If you upgrade to paid membership you can use as many of the more than 1,000 templates they have on file as you like. You also get access to hundreds Microsoft Word and PowerPoint templates. And access to BrochureReady, IconObjects and ThemeLayout for access to thousands more templates. ThemLayout offers skins for WordPress, Joomla and oSCommerce so the value is clearly present for anyone who thinks their business will grow – and that’s exactly the point, right?
Remember to look past the flash when designing your website. Cluttered design does not make purchasing easier or conversions increase. It distracts the viewer and sometimes overwhelms them into quitting and moving on. Make sure your design is clear and easy to follow. And then you will have an elegant system of your own – and the conversions to match.