Successful Web design requires a combination of great efficiency and great design, with the needs of the user and the company of paramount importance. This is according to Arthur Goldstuck, author and analyst who heads Internet strategy consultancy World Wide Worx. Goldstuck was addressing a Macromedia breakfast seminar hosted by The Core Group in Sandton today.
He told seminar delegates that next-generation Web design would demand that designers accommodate the widest possible range of devices and platforms.
Goldstuck pointed out that the Web is first a tool or channel for business, and second a platform for creativity. "It is important to focus on utility," he said. "Aesthetics must come second."
Mark Buwalda, Ananzi business unit manager, echoed this view. "You have to keep it clean, fast and mean. Size matters - limit graphics, bring the pictures down, don`t overdo links and use text rather than images for headings to make loading fast. And keep it simple - your users should feel welcome and be able to find their way around easily. If they can`t, you`ll lose them."
Goldstuck and Buwalda concluded that no matter how attractive a site is, if it doesn`t serve the needs of its company and users, it can be seen as a failure.
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