Series 4: Fundamentals of Good Web Design

(The following is a series of reviews on web 2.0, web design, and social media books.  It will be a 9 part series.  Each review is structured to provide a brief summary of  the books along with some application to current course assignments for a Web 2.0 Production course taught by Dr. Sorin Matei, Purdue University.)

Series 4: Designing the Moment:Web Interface Design Concepts in Action

In the moment we ‘re trying to understand what a site is about or how it is supposed to be completed, the words on a page can mean the difference between building confidence and losing it. They can mean the difference between loving a site and leaving it permanently. (Hoekman, 2008)

Summary
The moment you visit a website you start the process of determining whether or not you are going to revisit. In his book, Designing the Moment, Robert Hoekman makes a very strong case for designing for moments in time and not just put items on a page. Hoekman stresses that a designer should design for these moment, and not for screens or to satisfy content distribution. A web site has purpose and reason for being and Hoekman capitalizes on this idea by providing guidelines for designing sites that appeal directly to the user. He starts by getting the reader to understand the importance of getting organized. There are moments in a users pursuit for information that start with the first loading of a site. The first impression makes a big difference between having a user stay on a site and leaving for good. Similar to the train of thought of today’s most successful marketing departments, a successful web site should be designed for the total experience. A good designer tells a story with a site, engaging the user with every click more and more.

The reader take a journey through seven parts of the book, finding out along the way how to incorporate personality into a site, the key to a perfect layout, how to use photos and video effectively, and just what to do once the site is launched. With all the tips and tricks pointed out by Hoekman he also take a moment or two to make sure designers understand not to over do it. When talking about layouts and engaging the users, he reminds the reader that they should not overdo layouts or make them too different. There are already standards in web style that have been teaching users for years on how to navigate. Use these. Don’t reinvent them. Hoekman does a good job of making web design seem like anyone can do it, even the most novice designer. Technology, as well as good design, should stimulate human intelligence and imagination, instead of hindering it by making a user confused of disinterested.

Web 2.0 Relevance
Hoekman’s idea that designers should create interactions that inspire people to “do” on the Internet is the foundation of web 2.0. He marries his ideas about design with those of web 2.0 style and influence. He wants readers to justify the innovation and not just make a new site. The idea of designers putting their personality into a site is another way that Hoekman’s book follows the ideas behind web 2.0. With numerous social networks emerging weekly it’s difficult to design site with longevity. I think that by following some of the easy tips discussed in this book a designer will have a higher success rate of developing a site that users enjoy. As we learned from Krug’s book, users tend to scan content, instead of reading carefully. I see this trend continuing with site like Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace. Short, quick, and coded status updates are what users are getting used to. Designing a web site that capitalizes on this trend is what I think Hoekman is trying to tell designers. No need to go against the flow or reinvent the wheel.

…a blog is a terrible place to force a user to think, learn new actions, go against the norm… (Hoekman, 2008)

There are times when an idea should be elevated instead of innovated or make into something new. The web provides several places for us to use existing creative ideas for our own sites. We just need to be smart and resourceful designers.

Reference
Hoekman, R. (2008). Designing the moment: Web interface design concepts in action. Berkley, CA: New Riders.