"Eye for Design" or "Brains for Features"?

[Lorelei]

Some of you might have read this article already, but i found it only today and thought i would share it... it basicaly compares the advantage of a beautiful design over a "rich in feautures" website and visa vista.

source http://www.greycobra.com/articles/qu...ot/page-1.html

Some believe that by making their site really "pretty" with special effects, amazing graphics, and incredible flow will simply throw them to the top of the game. We call these people the ones with the Eye for Design. They are intelligent folks who can envision how a user will navigate a website, and in turn develop an idea that will work nicely, and be easy for the viewers to follow. These people understand that viewers need to be able to read content, and at the same time, like to be immersed in a unique environment that is pleasing to view.

Some believe that by providing their viewers with boatloads of features, their users will never lose interest in their project. We could call these people the "Brains" behind the websites functions. They understand how things work, and can make their web applications do things that will enthrall their traffic for hours on end.

So which is the better candidate for putting together a successful website? The answer as you may have already guessed is, "neither".

Website development takes a healthy mix of design and features. Features should not overload a website to the point where one simply confuses the visitors, and likewise, a Shiny website with little to offer will not survive long in the plethora of similar websites.

A healthy practice is to work in a team. Brainstorm your websites purpose, what features could be included, and how they should be integrated to make the users experience helpful rather than confusing. After discussing your websites purpose, and its main features, have someone with an eye for design draw things out. They tend to understand much more about a viewer will view a website than the guy with the "Brains".

After drawing out the plans for a site, and seeing how things will flow, have the guy who understands how applications work program the project. One should not leave this person in charge of the design, as they tend to think in terms of "More Features" and not in terms of how easy something will be to use. Likewise, you should not leave someone just with an eye for design in charge of features.

Overall, collaborate to tie together both design and functionality into one, easy to use final product. Some people are gifted, and are talented in both areas, but typically, working in a team will equate in a more rich experience when all is said and done. There are of course exceptions to this, and sometimes it is important just to understand your audience over anything else. After all, they are the ones who will be viewing your site!

[Vyoma]

That really is a good article there Lorelei, thanks for pointing it out.

Sadly, for my website, I do not have a 'team'. I am the 'Eye' and I am the 'Brain'. And I know, that if I let my 'Brain' do the work, I would bloat my site with features. Thus, I am keeping it to a minimum, and only when a necessity drives, I install the feature into the website.

I try to keep them in balance, by keeping the design and features minimalistic, and focus more on the juicy content.