Most people have a clear vision of what websites they “like” or “don’t like”. Some even can sufficiently evaluate a website’s design beyond their own personal preferences. There are very few in the general population, however, that truly understand what makes a website successful. Most look no further than the surface. Clients I have talked to only are focused on how their site looks and ignore its functionality or general purpose. If it’s aesthetic design is the only thing the site has going for it, you have wasted money on a site that is not living up to its potential.
In the end, what matters most is not how a website looks; it is how the site functions, its purpose and content. All aspects (aesthetics, functionality, and content) must work together for it to be a success.
“Content, Content, Content!”
In a recent discussion in the LinkedIn AIGA group, someone posed the question: “What makes a website sticky? Which sites hold your attention and why?” You may or may not be familiar with the term “sticky” when referring to a website, so let me first explain. A website is said to be “sticky” when it not only gets attention, but holds onto it. A “sticky” website keeps users coming back to the site continually.
As of now there is only one comment on this discussion, but the first sentence of that comment is “Content, content, content!” And it is true. Nothing brings users back like a great, continuous stream of content. Though we are beyond the Information Age and now well into the Interconnected Age, sharing useful information will attract and keep attention. Here is the entire comment:
“Content, content, content! That is what makes a site sticky for me. It’s got to have something fresh for me to read or watch or look at each time I visit it. That and it can’t have too many annoying elements, and the navigation has to be intutive. I like sites like Amazon and Apple, though they are geared more towards sales. But they always have fresh content, or at least new things for me to find. Like you say, “wiz-bang” stuff may be good for one visit, but if there isn’t the content to back it up, then return visits aren’t going to happen. Looking at my bookmarks, most of my visited sites are either utilitarian, shopping, galleries, or forums.”
Usable Intuition
There is an entire profession dedicated to the study of how people interact with computers, Human-Computer Interaction, which is the basis for Usability Standards. The internet is still such a new technology that some of these standards are still waiting to be set. However, something that has been proven is that if something is not intuitive (or, usable) then the user will become frustrated, leave and most likely never return. The functionality of any design is the core principle of determining its success.
The Ugly Ducklings
If the previous two points are up to par, a mediocre aesthetic design will not harm the amount of traffic (or, level of “stickiness”) that your site holds. On the other hand, an aesthetic design that is so unbearably horrendous very well could.
For example, a few months ago I was searching for a particular type of lace online. I was taken to a number of sites that had absolutely atrocious designs. As soon as the site loaded, I clicked the “back” button because the design was so distracting that I knew I would not be able to see past it to the content of the site. It didn’t even matter if they had the type of lace I was looking for, there was no chance that I would be able to see it. Albeit, most of these sites had more than simply aesthetic issues. However, this happens to me rather often when I search for something. If I stumble upon a site with a horrible design, chances are there is another site with the exact same information with a design that won’t distract me.
Wrap It Up
Those are the three primary aspects that determine the success of a website: content, usability, and aesthetics. There are many other minor details that will enhance or harm a user’s experience, but one must bear in mind that the entire purpose of any website is to appeal to their target audience.