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Design Matters: When Simplicity Wins Over Complexity
After a brief hiatus spent involved in several projects both for clients and internal processes - and not spent on the beach adding layers of cancer cells to my body as everyone expects a good Jersey girl does - I’ve come loaded with client scenarios and news commentary so overwhelming that I can hardly type fast enough.
Design is one thing close to my heart - having my roots come from the design studio world - yet still baffles me from the Internet marketing perspective. Print and web designers alike will argue endlessly as to what is “good” design. The reality is that no matter how pretty or how slick you think the design is, the real measurement is if it “works.” Ultimately, the prize goes to the one design that achieves one goal: it sells!
Take Google for example. Simple design; has not changed much over time. Features are added without affecting their ultimate goal: get people quickly and easily to their search results. You want more, like news and weather; you can click a separate link to personalize and add content. And what does simplicity do? Here’s an example: I once left my personal page opened up on my friend’s computer. He came in and said, “What’s this? I can’t get back to Google.” He thought it was some Google knockoff page that replaced the Google he knew, the simple search box interface he had become accustomed to. So simplicity created a comfort zone; a safe place he knew to go to get what he needed.
The there’s Yahoo!. Online Media Today released an article noting that Google has gained further ground over Yahoo!.
Asked what is behind Yahoo’s slip in satisfaction ratings, Freed pointed to the company’s re-launch of its home page in May. “The re-launch of the site wasn’t actually an improvement from the user experience perspective,” Freed said, adding that consumers think the large variety of functions available from the home page have left the site “too busy.” “At a certain point, there’s too much choice,” Freed said.
The “less is more” mantra is a fine line that designers walk every day. While it’s great to create a Flash filled site with movies, and flyout menus, and scrolling boxes, the reality is that’s typically not what “sells” a customer that visits your website. They want - and need - and interface that is fast, clean and simple, that aptly presents “what’s in it for me” and makes that easy to find each and every step of the way.
Google is a leader not only because they have gained incredible name recognition and they offer exceptional results. It’s their simplicity. People - of all Internet skill levels - get what they need quickly and easily. With all the simplicity the Google brand remains one of the most recognized names of our times.
Simplificus Maximus…It’s a little phrase I wrote a few years ago on a little spiral notepad that I keep on a bulletin board by my Mac in my home office. It’s a reminder to me that it’s really easy to have your ego take control of your mouse and over do it. When you find yourself in that same trap, make it your mantra. Chant it. Tattoo it to your arm. Do what you need to keep your goals focused. Simplify…simplify…simplify.
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