OT: Mark's web001

[Fairlight]

On Fri, Feb 25, 2005 at 11:59:51AM -0500, Walter Vaughan, the prominent pundit,
witicized:
> I agree with everything you said. You just forgot the most important 
> things... test and measure. Everyone is selling something. Even if it's 
> just opinions. You have to test and measure what gets you the most 
> profit or agreement with your opinion or clearest communication.

By and large, poor design will breed poor customer experience, which leads
to decreased revenue borne of customer dissatisfaction.

> I'll bet that those companies that have hundreds of porn sites test this 
> stuff out hourly and can tell you with almost perfect certainty what the 
> effect of flash or dhtml menus will do to revenue stream.

Probably.  But unless someone is catering to a specific audience (say,
gamers), a Flash-only site like www.doom3.com isn't going to go over very
well.  Today's designers seem more focused on creating a tour de force
(more than half of which are blase attempts when -everyone- is doing it)
than they are on delivering valuable content.

> It's all about the Benjamins. Nothing else matters.
> 
> Whatever makes us the most Benjamins at the end of the day is what it is 
> all about.

That's where I beg to differ.  Perhaps it's one reason I'm not wealthy, but
I absolutely refuse to sell out my principles for the almighty dollar.  And
my principles of web design are pretty firmly held--have been for years.

I don't believe that cash what it's -all- about--not if one has a modicum
of integrity.  Pleasing customers and treating them right, delivering the
best experience you can--things like -that- are what it's about, and in
the end will result in more money.  Basically, follow some common-sense
guidelines and the cash should follow.  Doesn't always happen, and I'm a
bit of a maverick compared against today's average web designer.  So YMMV.

Theoretically, it -should- happen.  That it doesn't, necessarily, is still
a puzzle to me, any more than how you can have a product that's superior
to the competition in 27 of 32 areas, is less expensive by 30-50%, has
better support, and someone will go with the competition's solution anyway.
It doesn't make a shred of logical sense, but it happens anyway.

mark->
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