Taking Your Talent to the Web: A Guide for the Transitioning Designer- P9 doc

Using HTML to lay out web pages does not make you a web designer—nor does making pretty pictures in Photoshop. A web designer, like any other designer, is a communications professional who solves problems. Just as a CD cover says something about the music it contains, the band that cre- ated the music, and the likely customer, so the site must clearly commu- nicate its structure, content, and purpose in a way appropriate to a specific audience. Gosh, haven’t we made this point before? Yes we have. And yet many web designers will read these words, nod their heads sagely (or maybe just nod off), and then continue to create sites whose appearance has nothing to do with the product, user, or brand. Brand identity As a designer or art director, you know what this means. But what does it mean on the Web? In simplistic terms, and on the most basic level, it means the same kind of work you’ve done all your professional life: Make the logo bigger. Use the client’s color palette. But on a deeper level, the web designer doesn’t merely “use the client’s col- ors” and slap the client’s logo on a web page. The web designer uses the site to express and extend the client’s brand identity. In Chapter 3 we discussed the way IBM’s brand positioning as a solutions company influenced not only the site’s look and feel, but also the depth and nature of its architecture and the type of enabling technology employed in its construction (see Figure 6.1). Good web designers are always thinking beyond the surface, extending and translating the brand through function as well as form. Web-specific No surprises here. In the case of the IBM site, “leveraging brand identity in a web-specific manner” means designing a site that provides solutions, not problems. Clear navigation and a search engine that works help the site support this aspect of the brand. This is an example of using the Web’s strength as a searchable database to convey brand attributes. 141 Taking Your Talent to the Web 09 0732 CH06 4/24/01 11:18 AM Page 141 Restrictions of the Medium Every medium has limitations. This book, for instance, lacks hyperlinks and a soundtrack. You can’t bookmark a motion picture (at least, not in the theater—the management might complain), and you can’t save printed magazine images to your desktop (though you can often save newsprint to your fingertips). The Web’s restrictions, as well as its strengths, were discussed in Chapter 2. Respecting those limitations and playing to those strengths is a key dif- ference between design and web design. A web page that ignores the medium’s restrictions (for instance, by forcing the viewer to download 100K of bloated imagery) or that fails to play to the medium’s strengths (for instance, by offering limited interactivity), may be visually beautiful— but it will still be poor web design. Let’s look at the last part of our definition: A web designer understands the underlying technology and works with team members and clients to create sites that are visually and emo- tionally engaging, easy to navigate, compatible with visitors’ needs, and accessible to a wide variety of web browsers and other devices. 142 WHO: What Is a Web Designer, Anyway?: What We Have Here Is an Opportunity to Communicate Figure 6.1 Did the designers of IBM’s website (www.ibm.com) succeed in their quest to translate the IBM brand to the Web? Front-page graphics tell only part of the story. The site’s func- tional performance tells the rest. Web design encompasses graphic design but extends beyond it. 09 0732 CH06 4/24/01 11:18 AM Page 142 Technology Web designers have a lot to say about the appropriate technological level for sites they design. Choosing appropriate technology is part of your job as brand steward and user advocate. Consider the following: ■ You wouldn’t design a general shopping site that depended on the visitor having the Flash plug-in, the latest version of Internet Explorer, or a particular operating system because you’d lose many customers that way. The owners of Boo.com, a technologically over- wrought shopping site, learned this the hard way when their busi- ness imploded in 2000. ■ On the other hand, when designing a gaming site for Playstation or an entertainment site for a high-tech sci-fi flick, using Flash (or designing for newer, more capable browsers) could be entirely appropriate. ■ You or a developer on your team might have fun coming up with a nifty Dynamic HTML (DHTML) menu geared for Internet Explorer 5, Netscape 6, and Opera 5—three recent browsers that to greater or lesser degrees support the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) stan- dard Document Object Model (DOM). You would not create a menu like that, however, for a women’s health care center because patients and their families are not going to download a new browser when seeking medical help or information. Technology choices are essentially decisions about who the site is for. As a communications professional, you should cultivate an informed opinion on this matter. If you don’t decide these issues for yourself, somebody else will decide for you, which can have potentially tragic results. It’s also worth repeating that even if you decide the site is primarily for bleeding-edge web enthusiasts, you will want to create alternative pages that are accessible to anyone. 143 Taking Your Talent to the Web 09 0732 CH06 4/24/01 11:18 AM Page 143 Works with team members Although sites are often driven by a lead designer and technologist (or a lead information designer), web design is nearly always a group effort. Think of your team members as friends. In fact, think of them as family. You’ll probably see more of them than you do your friends and family any- way. Then again, as a designer, you may already be used to that. Visually and emotionally engaging Like we have to define this for you. Like that ever stopped us. Beyond functioning appropriately for its intended use and supporting the brand, if your site lacks visual appeal or a coherent and engaging message, all but the most dedicated users will pass it by in favor of a more fulfilling experience elsewhere. “Form follows function” does not mean “form doesn’t matter.” Form mat- ters a heck of a lot. Given two functionally equivalent sites, only one of which delights the eye, where would you choose to spend your time? Okay, you’re a designer. But given the same two sites, where would your Aunt Martha choose to spend her time? Okay, well, yes, we forgot about Aunt Martha’s problem. Anyway, you get the idea. Visually appropriate does not mean visually unengaging. Most of the screenshots in Chapter 3 are of appropriately designed sites, very few of which are lackluster or emotionally unappealing. We adopt kittens but run from buzzards and rats because, well, to be honest, because buzzards and rats are filthy, disgusting animals—but also because kittens are cuter than buzzards and rats. We idolize babies and movie stars for much the same reason. You did not go into design to make the world duller or uglier. Anyone who tells you a functional site has to be visually plain is suffering from an emo- tional problem. Don’t make their problem yours. (But don’t give them ammunition by designing a beautiful but hard-to-use site.) 144 WHO: What Is a Web Designer, Anyway?: What We Have Here Is an Opportunity to Communicate 09 0732 CH06 4/24/01 11:18 AM Page 144 Sites cannot be emotionally engaging if they don’t have a clear purpose and a distinctive, brand-appropriate look and feel. It also helps a great deal if they’re well written. Few commercial sites are. If you end up supervising budgets for some of your projects, be sure to leave money for good writ- ers and editors. Great cinematography can only go so far when the script is bad. Easy to navigate Refer to Chapter 3. Compatible with visitors’ needs Refer to this chapter’s previous discussion of the three partners in any web- site (the designer, the client, and the end-user) and to Chapter 3, which covers scenario development as a means of getting inside the user’s head. We get inside the user’s head (to the best of our abilities, anyway) to struc- ture and design a site that meets that user’s needs. Aside from your Uncle Marvin’s personal home page, no site appeals to just one user. We construct multiple scenarios to forecast the needs of multiple users. Accessible to a wide variety of web browsers and other devices We’ve already pointed out that the Web is accessed by a wide range of browsers and that each of them has peculiarities, also referred to as incom- patibilities. (Other words are also used, but we gave up swearing for Lent.) Until all browsers support a core group of common standards, you will have to learn the ins and outs of each distressingly different browser and con- firm what you think you know by testing your completed designs on as many browsers and platforms as possible. (We’ll discuss testing in the next chapter.) In addition, your sites might need to work in nontraditional browsers and Internet devices such as Palm Pilots and web phones. 145 Taking Your Talent to the Web 09 0732 CH06 4/24/01 11:18 AM Page 145 CAN YOU HANDLE IT? By this point, the job of a web designer may appear too difficult. How is it possible to reconcile the needs of the user with the demands of the client and the heritage of the brand—not to mention coping with bandwidth lim- itations, browser incompatibilities, and the unknowable behavior of each individual visitor? Is it really possible to do this job well? Obviously, we think so. Here are some not-so-obvious reasons why. For one thing, web work is teamwork. Project managers, developers, web technicians, writers, producers, and other designers on your team will help you keep your eyes on the prize. Moreover, as a design professional, you already possess most of the skills and talents needed to design great sites, including: ■ The ability to research your client’s products and end-users, creating work that promotes the former while speaking to the latter. ■ A deep understanding of branding and identity. ■ A comfortable familiarity with the processes of learning from and presenting to clients and colleagues. You know how to sell and when not to. You’ve learned how to listen. ■ Maintaining schedules and deadlines. You deliver on time. ■ A thorough knowledge of design principles. ■ Expertise with digital design tools, such as Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. You can count on your teammates. You can count on yourself. And the process itself also will help you meet the goals you, your clients, and part- ners set for each project. Virtually every web agency employs methodolo- gies and processes to guide you and your teammates from the initial meeting to the launch (and beyond). By a strange coincidence, you’ll start learning about that very subject as soon as you turn the page. 146 WHO: What Is a Web Designer, Anyway?: Can You Handle It? 09 0732 CH06 4/24/01 11:18 AM Page 146 chapter 7 Riding the Project Life Cycle IN HOLLYWOOD, THE DIRECTOR IS KING. No matter how brilliant the work of the actors, producers, screenwriter, cinematographer, composer, editor, set designer, or other professionals, when the lights go down it is the director’s vision that fills our eyes and forces us to respond. On the Web, compelling sites begin and end with the vision of a lead designer or a small, high-level design team. Other professionals certainly play invaluable roles in defining and executing sites, however. Sites would not work at all without the efforts of information architects, programmers, producers, systems administrators, writers, and quality assurance teams— to say nothing of focus groups, testing groups, marketers, and the occa- sional consultant. And then there’s the client, who not only foots the bill, but also contributes marketing and product information, existing artwork and promotional materials, and his own ideas. But sites that transcend mere adequacy depend on the consistent vision of web designers. That means you. Design at this level is broad and deep. It does not end with the creation of graphic design elements. In fact, it does not even begin there. It starts with the first meeting and continues straight through the launch. Under ideal conditions, it goes on to include training and maintenance. For web designers to stay actively involved in every step of the process, they must thoroughly understand how the process works—hence this chapter. 10 0732 CH07 4/24/01 11:19 AM Page 147 Make no mistake: If you skip any part of the process, you pay for it later— with a site that falls short of your vision. This chapter sketches life in the trenches of web development. It empha- sizes the value of a methodology, outlines the life phases of most web projects, and explains the kind of contributions you’ll be expected to make in each phase of the process. Living this life is exciting, rewarding, and sometimes quite stressful. Reading about it is dull as dirt. If you feel like skipping this chapter, we’ll understand. It will be here when you need it. For instance, just before you take your next job. WHAT IS THE LIFE CYCLE? Every project, from an ad campaign to the development of a new car, has a life cycle. In most shops, web designers are expected to see a project through from the initial discussion phase to completion and updating. In some shops, this is not required; but in those places, you’ll want to partic- ipate anyway. If you’re not actively involved in the project from conception to “baby’s first steps,” somebody else will be making critical decisions for you. That person may not understand or care about consumer psychology, web usability, or the importance of design. By understanding and involving yourself in the entire project life cycle, you’ll be able to keep the focus on practicalities, aesthetics, the client’s goals, and the needs of the site’s potential audience. In your design career, you’ve undoubtedly toiled on projects that were mis- directed long before you were brought into the loop. Designers can solve many problems, but they cannot undo fatally misguided business decisions. As an advocate for the end user and a spokesperson for the needs of your team, you must be present from the beginning to the end. Some web shops are designer-driven; others have roots in information technology (IT). All good shops recognize the importance of involving the design group early and often. Many web agencies formalize this role of the design group by incorporating it into their methodology. 148 WHO: Riding the Project Life Cycle: What Is the Life Cycle? 10 0732 CH07 4/24/01 11:19 AM Page 148 WHY HAVE A METHOD? All websites, from e-commerce projects to abstract multimedia experi- ences, contain elements of two types of activities: ■ Information systems, involving computers and software ■ Communication design, including advertising and marketing communications Because of the size and complexity of today’s sites, web development often resembles information systems projects or enormous advertising and marketing campaigns. It’s not as big a job as coordinating the cast and crew of Gladiator, but it can come surprisingly close. Though estimates vary, it’s agreed that the majority of information systems projects fail. In case you missed that, we’ll say it again. Most information systems projects fail. Why do they fail? It’s generally because there is too much stuff to manage and keep track of, including the following: ■ Scope (the size of the project) ■ Budget ■ Resources ■ Timelines ■ Functionality (the stuff the site is supposed to do besides look pretty) To help manage such complexity, companies have available to them a resource that reduces the amount of unpredictability and surprise in a project. It is called a methodology. Every good company has one; no two are the same. A methodology outlines steps required for a successful project, making sure no steps are missed and none are undertaken at the wrong time. A method- ology also organizes these steps into phases. Phases help team members group activities, recognize progress, and notice red flags. A sound method- ology provides documented, consistent, proven, repeatable processes. Pro- jects that follow such methodologies work because they avoid reinventing the wheel. 149 Taking Your Talent to the Web 10 0732 CH07 4/24/01 11:19 AM Page 149 With a method in place, the team is freed from having to develop unique support tools and processes for each new project. Without a method, the team is driving off-road, blindfolded, without a map. They may reach their destination safely, but it will be six months too late. They may end up in Timbuktu, trying to convince the client they’re in Kansas. The following story is true: Once upon a time, a web agency with no methodology agreed to take on a large but fairly simple project. The client delivered the copy 3 months late (they all deliver the copy late). The copy, when delivered, was completely unusable. The agency had to pay a team of freelance writers rush charges out of its own pocket because the client had vetoed a writers budget. The client restructured the entire site as the last graphic elements were being produced, invalidating all development and graphic design work done up to that point and causing everyone to work through Christmas to make up the difference. Two weeks before launch, the client changed his logo and corporate colors. A week later he changed his business model. The client faxed revised (atrocious) copy from his vacation home, and it had to be manually retyped, edited by those now-deliriously-happy freelancers, and then put into HTML by freelance web technicians. Just before launch, the client’s boss (the CEO) was brought in to bless the work. Apparently, nobody had apprised him of the project plans. The CEO hated everything. The client halted all work and, fearful of losing his job, refused to send final payment. Attorneys were brought in. Agency staff was laid off to pay the attorneys. Then the freelancers sued the agency for non- payment. More staff was laid off. War was declared in Bosnia; Pinkerton did not return—all because the agency failed to follow a methodology. Successful web agencies often fall so in love with their methodology that they broadcast it on their corporate sites. Whether they call it “our method,” “our process,” or “Uncle Joe,” the discussion of corporate method- ology is duller than fungus. So why do so many web agencies fill their sites with such wearisome stuff? It’s because clients have been burned when working with web agencies that seemingly had no methodology at all. The trumpeting of methodology carries an implicit promise of performance. (“We won’t be late or over budget. Look! We have a methodology!”) 150 WHO: Riding the Project Life Cycle: Why Have a Method? 10 0732 CH07 4/24/01 11:19 AM Page 150 [...]... that the client’s photography is up to snuff You may need to budget for a good shooter, conversion from photography to digital images, and a database to store and serve the relevant images 155 10 0732 CH07 156 4/24/01 11:19 AM Page 156 WHO: Riding the Project Life Cycle: We Never Forget a Phase How does the database work? Your developers know Meet with them separately and then bring one or more to the. .. issues and solutions with regard to design, site architecture, and technology To assuage your fears, the only part of this that is new (from your perspective as a professional designer) is that technological issues have been added to the equation—much as ink, paper stocks, and such are part of the traditional design equation You will learn what you need to know in this book and on the job The early phase... into phases allows companies to predict and plan for activities, ensuring that no steps are skipped Reusing processes from one project to another also increases efficiency while reducing heartache, phone rage, and legal expenses Phases are plans, and plans are never static Over the life of any project, activities move from one phase to another; activities may span several phases; and lines of delineation... impossible agreements That’s the worst-case scenario The only-slightly-better scenario is that your company will somehow fulfill the impossible agreement only to watch the client fail because everyone shook hands over a really bad idea The client may want his e-commerce site visitors to enter personal data and create a unique user account before even seeing what he has to offer He may request this at the last... last minute, and the web agency may manage to fulfill the request on time and within the budget But nobody will use the site, and the client could bad-mouth the agency rather than admit his own folly, thus harming your business for years to come Even if the client has only good things to say about you, you don’t want your clients to fail, and you don’t want the press to associate your agency with widescreen,... rudimentary and confused idea of what they wish to achieve In their own realm, they are kings On the Web, they are lost little children If your background includes marketing experience and if you have made yourself knowledgeable about the Web, you can guide your clients away from vague or even nonsensical plans and toward worthwhile, achievable goals 153 10 0732 CH07 154 4/24/01 11:19 AM Page 154 WHO:... CH07 4/24/01 11:19 AM Page 151 Taking Your Talent to the Web Every married couple takes vows, but many later break them Similarly, the existence of a written methodology is no guarantee that the company that wrote it will practice it Nevertheless, good companies do have methods that work for them, and you will want to master the methodology of your web agency If possible, you will want to improve it Every... will take all your expertise at client negotiation to avoid the Titanic effect (also known as the Boo.com effect) But it’s better to face conflict than to knowingly deliver bad work The best-case scenario, of course, is to come up with and sell workable solutions that offer real value to the audience your client wishes to reach How Not to Do It “Because I know what I’m doing, and you’re a pathetic marketing... product was an intranet site with advanced functions rivaling that of expensive proprietary software Though a sales force had lined up dozens of large corporate buyers, the developers were unable to deliver the product because its scope kept shifting as the executive in charge came up with one “neat idea” after another that he insisted on incorporating into the product The design team and sales force sat... consequences can sober up most clients Have an attractive, friendly project manager explain to the client the additional costs incurred as his indecisiveness causes deadlines to shift Design The design phase is a simple word for a heck of a lot of activity The process nearly always unfolds something like this: I Brainstorm and problem solve with your team I Translate needs into solutions I Sell ideas to the . budget for a good shooter, conversion from photography to digital images, and a database to store and serve the relevant images. 155 Taking Your Talent to the Web 10 0732 CH07 4/24/01 11:19 AM Page. yourself knowledge- able about the Web, you can guide your clients away from vague or even nonsensical plans and toward worthwhile, achievable goals. 153 Taking Your Talent to the Web 10 0732 CH07. of them as family. You’ll probably see more of them than you do your friends and family any- way. Then again, as a designer, you may already be used to that. Visually and emotionally engaging Like