Janet Kaiser on sun 15 oct 00
IMHO web sites should simply be pleasing,
restful, informative and easy to navigate.
Preferably with easily accessible hidden depths
for those who want to go digging... Like a
Kindergarten book on the outside but
Encyclopędia Britannica within.
I find it interesting that many are obviously
taking notice of the statistics published on web
site usage. Just one reason NOT to take too much
serious notice, is that the average polled user
is young, male and single. Will they be your
main target audience? I doubt it very much. This
is no disrespect to the group en masse (OK Jeff
C?), just common sense.
Many web sites are also designed and built by
the above-mentioned group, as are the various
programmes and most software. They love buttons,
bells, music, fading images, flashing lights...
"The works". It is a new technology and everyone
is being innovative and creative. It is
therefore really sad to hear so many harking
back to old technologies, printed media and
already setting down hard and fast conventions,
rules and restrictions. Sure there are some
irritating features on some web sites, but what
we find annoying today may just be the norm of
tomorrow. I prefer the magazine and newspaper
layouts and much fuller content of the 1970s,
but I am not going to get it outside archival
materials and libraries. Things change. We have
to live with it, even if we do not like it.
If I do not like a site, I do not tick off the
owner and get on my high horse about "wrong"
layout, size, music, etc. What may be intended
as a short and sweet message of helpful advice,
can sound pretty rude and patronising to someone
who has spent many hours working on their site
and will probably spend many more keeping it up
to date. It is akin to throwing rotten eggs at a
stranger... Just because you are "an experienced
web site developer" does not give you the right
to abuse and criticise others. Maybe they are
groping in the dark, but they will soon realise
the various defects in their design without this
sort of aggressive intervention. Thinly veiled
references to recently "reviewed" sites on a
public forum like Clay Art is also rather mean.
New site masters may have few resources and
little experience, but they will fine-tune their
site as they develop. It is a steep learning
curve and everyone "gets it" eventually. We as
artists (more than anyone else) should realise
they are developing and this may be Mark I we
are shooting down. Even if Mark II or Mark
XXXVIII and still not quite right... who are we
to come along and be super critical? Give me a
break!
If you do not like a site, you can quickly exit.
No need to abuse the owner. But if you do give
them feedback, please address them by name and
try to avoid brusque, short sentences which are
pretty hurtful. I have recently been informed
"this is usual practice" nowadays, but there is
no need for us all to take this ill-mannered,
arrogant style on board. Throw-away comments are
usually counter-productive. Say something nice
and positive first, even if you are going to
kick them in the goolies later.
Presumably we don't walk into someone's home and
start criticising the decor, the furniture, the
architecture and the people who live there, so
what makes people think they can do the same in
this virtual world without causing a lot of
distress? Surely it is possible to remain
civilised and mannerly?
Most personal web sites are built by people like
you and me... We are not computer whiz kids and
do not have $$$ programmes and software. Neither
do we all have $$$ hardware, huge VDUs, super
quick connections or hours to spend fine-tuning
or redesigning our sites. I am (for example)
stuck with MS-Publisher 97 (= horror story)
including pages which are too short and no way
of changing the HTML without going into Notepad
each and every time I redesign a page. It would
take me many months to adjust the 70+ pages on
The Chapel of Art site, so most pages tend to be
too full, amongst other "errors".
But what the heck? If people compare my
home-made CoA site with the likes of Rufford,
which has probably cost $$$ millions to set up
and run, I can only trust they will have the
good sense to understand why there is a big
difference in presentation. Give a barrel of
monkeys the time and resources of big business
and they will produce a super site --
eventually!
My professional background in pamphlet, poster,
book, magazine and other printed design in
another life, was actually little use in the
face of this new media... The biggest difference
was space. No saving paper here! What luxury!
And colour! Wow! I can use anything and
everything without the printer rolling his eyes
and saying "That is impossible" or "It will cost
an arm and a leg to produce". Lovely black
glossy background with white print... Giant
images. Super!! On the other hand, I have to
think about those who will print off my pages...
I do not want them to waste reams of paper and
gallons of ink. Don't you hate those pages which
turn out to be two and a bit in hard copy, with
just a couple lines of print at the top of page
three?
With regard to fellow clay art web sites and
home pages... Because we are interested in pots,
does not mean we are the target audience for the
sites which we take an interest in. Do we spend
$$$ per year on each other's work? Hardly. The
target is to attract those buyers, collectors,
galleries, etc. who will buy, come visit our
studios, offer us exhibition opportunities,
award us commissions, lodge their wedding list
with us, enquire about workshops, etc. etc. It
is our shop window. The educational aspirations
of some sites is often a secondary priority. And
I include looking at fellow makers' work,
glazes, etc. here. I will not mention stealing
work, because that is not PC and will ruffle
feathers, however, I have already been offered
paintings which look suspiciously like the work
of an artist in Australia, whose work I happened
to see on-line!
If you like to present your dog, family and
house alongside your work, that is fine by me.
It gives an insight into your persona, not just
your pots. Makes it more cosy and personal. Once
again, those who do not like this are welcome to
look elsewhere or go straight to the pot pages.
For example, we all "know" David Hendley on clay
art, but thanks to a really personal web site,
even chance visitors get a great introduction to
his environment and his work. That personal
touch is part of the sizzle which is so
important when promoting yourself and your work.
I feel it is rude and insensitive to say that a
personal introduction is unwanted and of no
interest to anyone. It is a genuine privilege to
be allowed into someone's private life and
sphere. But then I do not hide behind net
curtains and always take an interest in my
fellow humans... and their dogs.
You like disco music and flashing lights? Great.
Stuffy grumps and those with older PCs &
software will not visit again, but many kindred
spirits will. Just make sure they are who you
want visiting, before you design your site.
The only "rules" which are really applicable to
web sites IMHO are:
1. don't have pages where scrolling up & down
AND right & left is necessary. Apart from being
irritating, many do not realise they have to
scroll horizontally, so they will miss whatever
is down the right side of the page.
2. don't use strange colour combinations,
especially for text on background colour. Many
of these colours will look quite different on
other systems and some can make the viewer feel
physically dizzy and sick. For example,
complimentary colours like a red text on a green
background may well be attention grabbers, but
are horrendous to read. Changing the colour
background from page to page on a site
introduces in a discordant element, unless it is
used to group specific areas within the site
(IMO).
3. Don't centre or right align great blocks of
text... It is tedious to read beyond a couple of
lines.
4. Keep images small enough to download quickly
and put in an "alt" text so viewers have
something to read whilst they wait for the image
to materialise. They can also read the
alternative text by running the cursor over the
image once it is downloaded and is also a
non-intrusive, interactive feature. You can
"hide" prices here too. Unlike someone else
recently, I feel $$$ prices plastered everywhere
are not the most endearing feature of many
selling sites. But this is personal preference
again!
5. Accommodate small screens... Some web sites I
visit, have about an inch which is viewable with
the rest an immovable fixed frame. I cannot read
more than a few lines of text without scrolling
nor see any one image in its entirety. Very
frustrating! Sure I can download the image and
view it elsewhere, but I rarely do that... Too
time consuming. So I still have not seen your
pots Tony C!
6. Keep pages simple, but don't dumb down. I do
not agree with the dictum, that images are all
important and no one reads the text. Give
visitors the choice. We do not all have the
attention span of an ape and are genuinely
interested in reading about what you care to
share with your audience. I may not read
everything, but I would like the opportunity to
do so.
Before I end my, errr... "longish discourse", I
would like to point out that many who claim to
be "experienced web site developers" have maybe
only built one or two simple sites or are part
of a team who work to other designer/s or client
remits. Do not be conned into taking advice from
any Tom, Dick or Harry who comes along,
especially if they are charging for their work
and input.
Web site design is just as personal and uniquely
"you" as your pots... Do not be swayed by
personal comments and subjective opinions, but
do make your site easy to navigate and pleasant
to visit. Do not be ruled by the technology...
Only use what you are happy with and fulfil your
design needs. Try to remain objective about the
finished product and change it as often as you
can.
But that is quite enough "do" and "do not" lines
from me, who likes the challenge of wacky sites
which defy current convention and hate being
told what to do... We get enough of that elsewhe
re in our lives.
BTW The "you" throughout this mail is not
referring to anyone in particular. Nor
"experienced web site developer", although there
is probably someone, somewhere, who will take it
personally. Such is life.
Janet Kaiser - Thankfully nowhere near the worst
floods in forty years.
The Chapel of Art . Capel Celfyddyd
HOME OF THE INTERNATIONAL POTTERS' PATH
Criccieth LL52 0EA, GB-Wales Tel: (01766) 523570
E-mail: postbox@the-coa.org.uk
WEBSITE: http://www.the-coa.org.uk
CINDI ANDERSON on thu 19 oct 00
Everyone has had good points, but there is no "perfect" answer. There are very
different site layouts that appeal to different people. Yes, some people can only
handle 6 things per page, like very simple pages. But other people (like me) like
a lot of links so I can go right to what I want, because I hate to keep clicking
and clicking to get deeper into what I want. This is the challenge of web site
design. It is hard to make everyone happy, especially when you have a lot of
information. That is why good sites try to have both. If you have a simple page,
also have a nice detailed index page or site map that lets people get right to what
they want. Or, if you have a few major categories as major links, also put the
more detailed categories as hyperlinks at the bottom of the page in a smaller
font. In other words, do your best to make multiple ways of access.
As much as I hate to admit it, some people love splash pages that take forever to
load, and bouncing icons. I guess you just shouldn't expect everyone to like a
given web site any more than everyone likes the same piece of pottery.
TIP: By the way, it is very helpful to have someone go through your website while
you are watching. Ask them to talk out load, say what they are thinking as they
look around and click on different things. You will see where they go to look for
things, vs what you thought was obvious.
Cindi
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