POLYSORT INTERNET MARKETING INTERVIEW
with Tom Speer

 

Part V

Q. Can you talk about the effective use of icons?

A. Icon usage is much like that of graphics; they can either enhance or confuse your message. Because the Internet is a global medium, Companies should take caution in using icons as a complete substitution for conventional text menus. Some icons have gained universal recognition and can be used quite effectively to spice up a page. These include directional arrows, a house symbol (for home page), and to a lesser degree, things like envelope or mailbox symbols for e-mail. To be effectively used in a web page, icons should:

• be relatively simple in design (no complex pictures)
• be small in file size
• be placed consistently from page to page
• be recognizable within the content (not obscured by the surrounding images and information)
• be "backed up" by an alternate menu system such as text links

Ultimately, if you feel a need to explain to others what that icon is there for, it is probably not conveying its intended message. Unbiased third party opinion is your best bet when testing the recognition value of an icon. Just remember… what is recognizable by your employees may have absolutely no meaning to the general public (more on this in one of your following questions). Design and use icons for the widest possible audience.

Part VI

 

Q. In previous issues, "Targeting Trends" has discussed the importance of quality site content. But what about typography? Can you explain how important this design element is?

A. Typography is a rather broad subject. In relation to quality content, bad typography will erase all the gains you may make in developing meaningful information. If your message is obscured by poor use of fonts and color contrasts with background tiles or images, your information is simply lost in what a viewer sees as another jumbled web page not worthy of their time. Just like conventional printed media, you can use typography effectively to categorize and separate your message into usable sections. More importantly, you take advantage of the way a person actually views a web page and "draw their attention" to sections that are more important. As an example, you may notice that many personal pages will make the link to "sign their guest book" the indisputable focus of the entire page. However, we all know that is not why you visited the page in the first place. A business site may suffer the same fate. If a visitor has to dig through the details to find the information they are looking for, chances are, they won't bother. You should identify what elements of your site are the most important to your visitors and then make use of typographical enhancements such as bold letters, large fonts (or different fonts), offsetting text, indentations, and white space (margins) to ensure those elements stand out from the background information and remain the focus of your page layout.

Part VII

 

Q. What are common mistakes companies make when they design their business web sites?

A. Here are the three biggest mistakes… The single most common mistake a company makes in developing a web site is to develop the site from the company's viewpoint rather than the customer. If your intended audience is your employees, this factor obviously has less relevance. However, in most business web sites, the target audience is new or existing customers or vendors. Just as in a conventional business, a customer does not visit your store to learn about the history of your company, see who the employee of the month is, or take a look at your organizational structure. They come because they want something… and they want it now (one of the founding principles of doing business on the web ­ 24 hour immediate access to information, products, and services). The easier you make it to find that "something", the more likely your visitors are to stay awhile and see what you have to offer.

This leads into the second biggest mistake… confusing your customers with difficult navigation and informational structure within the site. Make navigation simple and place additional emphasis on those areas that are most important to your customers. Things like contact lists, order forms, product listings, and in some cases, FAQ's (frequently asked questions) should not be buried several layers deep into unrelated pages or directories. If you sell "widgets", there should be a link on your main page to your list of widgets, to an order page, and to a contact representative. Many companies will approach this site navigation from the point of view of "how we do it in the company". Within your conventional company, to process an order, you may have a customer call sales, who forwards it to your inventory personnel, who confirm availability and pass it along to billing… then to shipping…etc. A web customer shouldn't have to click on an "about our company" link… then a regional office link… then a products link… then a sales rep link… then an order form, just to buy something (a verbose but accurate example).

Finally, it is never enough to assume that just because you have developed a web site, people will flock to your door. Like any other marketing tool, you must promote and advertise your site. Many businesses hesitantly devote the resources necessary to build a web site but fail to market the site properly. Several months later when they have a trickle of visitors and no new customers, they write the whole effort off as a failure. Like any other business venture, you must not only acquire the means to do business on the web; you must also provide the support and promotional resources to make it effective.

Part VIII

 

Q. Is there anything you'd like to add about site design that you feel is important?

A. In general… you get what you pay for. With web development and marketing salaries rising every year, there is ample temptation to take the low road and get your web site up and running as quick as possible at the bottom dollar bid. The company with vision will avoid this pitfall and take the time to carefully plan the project as they would with any marketing campaign. Hire professionals (not hobbyists), clearly define your content and purpose, optimize your site for the broadest possible audience, and test your site on the public when you are ready. Track usage and statistics, obtain customer feedback and reaction, then improve the site. Web site development and maintenance is a never-ending process due to the changes in technology and the ever-present public desire for new information, products, and services. To be successful, a company must approach web projects as long term operations and not expect immediate returns. The profit is in establishing another generally "untapped" customer base to expand your operations and improve customer service and access to your products. If your project is approached in this manner, you are much less likely to be disappointed in the results.

Part IX

 

Q. Web sites can appear very different depending on which browser you use. Can you briefly explain why that is? Also, What are the common ways pages change visually when they are viewed on different browsers? (color, table arrangements, etc.)

A. There are numerous reasons why web pages may appear differently in various browsers. This is why effective web design is such a challenge. It is extremely difficult to design for every possible equipment configuration that may be used to view your site. Some of the key factors include:

- What type of computer your visitor is using. If they are using a MAC rather than a PC, they will have different default color palettes to display the pages (8 or 24 bit color palettes accordingly). Some of your images may have been developed in 24 bit mode but the viewer is only capable of displaying them in 8 bit. The end result is that color definition and image clarity is sacrificed as the less capable monitor/browser attempts to display a range of colors and hues that it is not capable of presenting.

- What type/version of browser your visitor is using. Although there are established standards for basic HTML syntax, developers of web browsers often add additional commands to their products that are only recognizable in that particular web browser. A page developed exclusively in Microsoft Front Page will embed tags and other html coding that is either ignored or misinterpreted by someone using a Netscape product (and vice-versa). Things like tables, tabs, and other typographic features are interpreted differently as your html coding is translated into a viewable page on the screen.

- Different hardware and software also contribute to the confusion. Better-equipped, large screen, high resolution monitors and graphics cards will more accurately portray your web pages as you designed them. The problem is that many people using the Internet today are not equipped with the latest technology. Many still browse the web using 14 inch VGA monitors and no graphics card. Some have no ability to view Java and other new features like 3D VRML, Macromedia enhancements, streaming video or audio, and more. The site that is designed with a disregard for the low-end users is ignoring a significant segment of the viewing population. Special features such as Java menu systems, should always have an alternative method of presentation for those not equipped to take advantage of them. There are a number of other design issues but these are probably the most predominant factors.

Part X

 

Q. How can firms design a web site that will translate well across various browsers? What design elements should be given the most attention?

A. As mentioned before, accurately define your target audience (including what level of sophistication and user "experience you anticipate the average visitor to be at). Then develop the site to accommodate the broadest range of equipment and browser configurations within that target group. As a "general" rule of
thumb… you can design your pages to accommodate a 640x480 screen resolution and 99% of your audience will see the pages as you envisioned them (in terms of layout and proportions). As newer PC's and larger monitors become the norm, screen resolutions of 800x600 pixels are increasingly the standard by which designers develop sites. Even a small 14" monitor can display an 800x600 pixel page... they just do not display it effectively. By developing your page layouts as percentages of available screen space rather than fixed dimensions, you can, to a degree, automatically account for any screen resolution (there are drawbacks to this approach which I won't go into here).

The next step you can take towards compatibility is to ensure that your graphics are optimized to display properly within the limitations of web browser palettes (216 colors). By doing this, you not only offer potentially smaller file sizes for each image, but they should look identical in any monitor, at any resolution.

As mentioned earlier, strive to take the simplest path possible in getting your message across. Don't use Java, frames, animations, and exotic plug-ins (3rd party software interpreting modules for browsers) in your page designs just because you can. A simple text link is still the easiest way to set up a basic navigation system. Graphic buttons are the next best method (although they present certain penalties in search engine indexing of your site among other things). Clarity of content is almost as important as quality!

Finally, TEST your pages in a variety of browsers, screen resolutions, and connection speeds. There is no substitute for actually seeing how a page looks on another computer and how long it takes to load under good, fair, and poor connection rates. The more diverse the range of testing variables, the more accurate a portrayal of your true cross platform compatibility.

- end of interview -

Tom Speer has 22 years of experience as a freelance graphic artist and cartoonist (designing political advertisements at the early age of 15).
Tom also has earned a dual Masters degree in Computer Information Systems and Business Management. If you have a web or graphics design project that requires a personal touch, Fortress Web Design and Hosting can deliver! Thier rates are very competitive and an initial consultation is free so contact Tom for more information at webmaster@fortressdesign.com or just stop by his site and browse thru the excellent design lessons and examples.

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