I recently asked some of my favorite designers, developers, and bloggers what they thought made a website’s design both memorable and extremely effective at carrying out its intended goals (selling a product, promoting a service, showcasing great articles, etc.) Below they share with us some awesome insight.
When you’re done soaking in all this info, I’d love to hear what YOU think makes a site both unforgettable and effective. I’m interested in perspectives of not only designers but regular users; we all have our own experiences with websites and these varying perspectives can be mutually beneficial. Leave your thoughts in the comments section.
Here we go!
“A web design that’s memorable is one that is usable. What people will remember most is how a website functions. People won’t mind a visually-unexciting website if it’s user-friendly and gets the job done.
“So when you say ‘web design,’ I look at it not as an aesthetics/artistic problem, but as a functional problem. Visual hierarchy, whitespace, interaction design, these are things that help make a site more usable, readable and pleasant to use.”
Jacob Gube, creator of Six Revisions
“I return to a website is if it does what I want it to do. That might be answering a question, selling a product, providing news, or helping me connect with others. The easier it is for me to find what I’m looking for, the more likely I am to return again and again.”
David Airey, brand identity designer, creator of Identity Designed
“I’d say that every single element has to be aligned with the overall mission and message… it’s a relentless work in progress.”
Chris Guillebeau, traveler and author, The Art of Non-Conformity
“The thing that matters the most is the concept behind the website. A new idea that’s AWESOME (Etsy, Ubercab, Flippa, AirBnB, iStockPhoto, PlentyOfFish) and delivers massive value that’s 10x or 100x better than existing solutions makes the website extremely effective.
“It’s about disrupting industries, opening up new markets, and delivering over the top value versus existing players. Great design alone isn’t enough anymore.”
Matt Mickiewicz, founder of SitePoint, Flippa & 99Designs
“Unforgettable designs surround content and functionality that solved a problem for a user. That may sound a bit generic, but consider it for a moment. If you go to a website, easily find what you need and accomplish your goal, you aren’t going to forget that. You’ll probably head right back there next time that task comes up.
“This is why design is so powerful. You probably even have a favorite cup in your cupboard, because it’s the one that drinks the best and feels best in your hand. That cup is the one that best solves the problem of drinking liquid for you.”
Chris Coyier, creator of CSS-Tricks
“Effective web design should make the visitor feel like they like your site even before they read the content. To do that, a design should be bold and different yet still follow design convention (clean lines, harmonious colors, effective usability, conveying the right information at the right time, etc.).”
Corbett Barr, founder of Think Traffic
“Great writing.”
David Heinemeier Hansson, creator of Ruby on Rails, partner at 37signals
“Being a WordPress theme provider, we are firm believers that a memorable site design does not necessarily mean it has to be a 100% unique design. A site visitor is just as impressed by the fast load time of a website, a usable and logical navigational structure, well arranged and styled post/page content, and a catchy logo with consistent coloring in the rest of the design.”
Mark Forrester, co-founder of WooThemes
“Website design is all about delivering the right experience. When I designed my site, I thought a long time about the impact I want to have on people. I used the core words of my brand—being edgy, inspiring, grounded and epic—and made sure that my design reflected those words.
“That’s why I believe that the best site design represents 100% every drop of your brand (even if that brand is ‘only’ you!), while being as unique as possible.”
Mars Dorian, online influencer and digital crusader
“Designs that tell a compelling story, through the use of engaging visuals and provocative language, pull people in. They make a person want to stay on a website and immerse themselves in the experience.
“Good design alone isn’t enough. A good design without substance behind it is decoration. But a site or design is remarkable when the backbone behind it has depth and meaning.”
Reese Spykerman, designer extraordinare, Design By Reese
“Just like books, websites are judged by their cover—what you see at first glance. If your cover isn’t memorable, if you aren’t drawing people in from the start, you’re going to lose them. Content is king, but words on a page only go so far as to captivate your audience and consumers. That doesn’t mean go nuts with flashing pictures and background music a la GeoCities.
“Effective design is simple, clean, and to the point. It provides clear navigation and calls to action. It effectively tells your visitors what you want them to do. Effective design looks good, but more importantly, functions well and doesn’t overwhelm, but rather, compliments the website’s content.”
Matt Cheuvront, chief web guru at Proof Branding, creator of Life Without Pants
What do you think makes a website both unforgettable and effective? Share in the comments below!
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{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Barron,
thanx for including me – it’s a grreat collection. Especially love Chris’ and Reese’s point of view – delivering an experience that’s backed up by your mission and motive.
The prettiest design in the world is worth NOTHING if the background is boring and average.
It’s one whole body that has to work properly.
Definitely Mars! And I’m happy you were willing to contribute your thoughts as well. Hopefully this helps whoever happens to come across it.
Hey Barron, awesome way to kick off the launch of your new site. Congrats on the launch and on collecting a great list of responses. Can’t wait to read your new stuff!
Thanks man!
Hey Barron, congrats on your site’s launch! Is it weird that I don’t really pay attention to design, unless it’s so full of things that it’s hard to read? I guess all I want is a simple design, as the main thing is content. I don’t mind if it’s all white, has dark colors, graphics…. my main focus is on content.
That said, maybe you can give me some design tips on my site!
Cheers, Sam
What’s up Sam. You made a good point, that you don’t really notice design unless it’s obviously bad or cluttered. I think that’s the whole point, design should serve the purpose of highlighting the content… essentially good design stays out of the way.
A well-designed site does put content first and makes it easier for the user to get around, among other things. So if you’ve had good experiences with a site and hardly noticed its design, perhaps it’s because it was done well :)
I love the concise format of this post. Short and quick answers, but a lot of information. You are a great designer yourself Barron.
Derek
Thanks Derek. I was hoping readers could get a ton of info from these great designers and site owners; glad you found it useful.
Talk about a ton of value all in one article!
Thanks for posting this :)
Hopefully I’m hitting all these marks with my site before it launches (april 4th, yikes)
Bows,
-Patrick
Awesome man, I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Good luck with the launch!