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KISS: Keep It Simple ...Why?
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I'm sure most of you can fill in the final word for the KISS acronym
("Keep It Simple Stupid" for those not indoctrinated with
North American icons). This most wise principle can be applied to nearly
every facet of life and business, and seems to be adopted in direct
proportion to experience level. The more we know about any subject,
the more we seem to be able to find the elegant and simple solutions.
My Web design career certainly followed a path to KISS enlightenment.
As I learned about HTML, JavaScript, CSS, optimization, etc., my designs
were hopelessly complicated. Technically impressive, I'll admit as I
look back, but more valued for what I learned than for the usability
of the sites I created. Fast forward five years, and my designs have
become almost painfully simple. I still think they look good, and others
must agree, or I would not be hired, but technically, they are not challenging.
Let me rephrase that. Technically, they are not cutting edge, but in
a lot of ways, they are more challenging. The challenge comes not from
creating a new script, or a flashy JavaScript action to work, but from
using tried and proven methods to create a useable page that meets client
needs, loads quickly and is intuitive for the visitor.
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The entry page for Mobyz.com.
Teaser menus are text, and scattered through the site.
Flash demos are linked, not automatic.
The main menu uses graphics to make display consistent
for all browsers. This same look could be done with CSS and text.
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The samples at the left, are from the Mobyz
Mobile Business Web site I did last year. We worked hard to create
a very simple site. Although the company is based in the high tech world,
they understand that communication is much more important than bells
and whistles. We created a site for impatient visitors. It is also very
easy to update and maintain, thanks to the CSS driven text menus for
all but the main menu, and the decorative menu on the entry page. Listings
can be changed with typing, not graphics. For this client, that was
very important, as the site is maintained by the back end programmers.
My role was for design and navigation only, and graphic menus would
have hampered their ability to change menu items on the fly. (The list
of arrays and actions, work arounds and troubleshooting that programmers
hold in their minds boggles me, but Photoshop strikes terror into their
hearts.)
There are Flash demos on the site, and even a small animated GIF on
the entry page. We did not toss aside all popular technology, but made
sure that it earned its keep before it was used. We also held on to
the "old" at times. We used graphic rollovers for the main
menu and the entry page because the CSS rollovers do not work in some
Netscape versions, and we wanted those areas to be consistent for all
users.
I do not believe that a site like this is the only "correct"
answer, but presented the example to show the process that is required
to create a great site. If you read back through the previous paragraphs,
you will notice a theme: "We did this because ..." That is
the critical concept for any site. "I am adding this script because
it will do this for the visitor experience." "I am not going
to use this technique because ..." I'm sure you get the idea.
The purpose of this article is two fold. The first goal I have is to
convince some of you to simplify everything that you are doing. There
are several reasons for this, the most enticing that your income will
likely go up. The designers I know who have remained consistently busy
through the dot com crash and then the general slowdown in the economy
have all adopted a very practical attitude to Web design. The majority
of paying clients, both large and small companies, require a highly
useable site that looks good, but that does not confuse or frustrate
visitors.
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Please don't get me wrong. We need those who strain at the leading
edge of technological development. They are the ones who make the browser
developers keep up. They fuel new software development so that the rest
of us can do our work more quickly. They inspire us to always improve.
But for most of us, myself included, if we are to make a living with
Web design, we need fast methods to create the best sites for our clients.
That reality is part of every industry, yet too often, we creative types
believe that we are "selling out" or are "frauds"
if we do not constantly push ahead where no designer has gone before.
I do not believe that is true. In fact, I think many clients are hurt
by this attitude. I have suggested many times in this column that designers
have a personal site where they add whatever catches their attention.
Satisfy your desire to stretch and grow into new areas on your personal
site, and bring to your professional work only that which can help your
client achieve their goals.
The second purpose for this article is to give you some practical simplification
tools. One of the most important tools for a simple site is text, both
HTML and graphic text, and I urge you to read through Type
Right for a Pro Look as part of this exercise. We will look more
at text here, but the basics of typography as it applies to the Web
are covered in that article.
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A series from this column, Menus
with Beauty and Brains, spawned my book, Web
Menus with Beauty and Brains, published by Hungry
Minds.
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Also, the series Menus with Beauty and Brains: 1,
2 and 3
will help with menu ideas and techniques for the KISS site. This series
talks about menu organization, working with small text and many other
topics that form the less tangible problems in designing a site.
I expanded this series of articles into a book, Web Menus for Beauty
and Brains, published by Hungry Minds and available at major bookstores
and Amazon.com.
Watch for an excerpt from the book right here very soon.
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I know that I am promoting the exact opposite message that you will
hear on many Web development sites. Many will take exception to my KISS
theories, no doubt assigning me to the heap of "fraudulent artists"
who have sold out. I disagree. It is not easy to create something very
simple, and I believe it takes more artistic talent to create a beautiful
page when the designer must work within usability restrictions. There
is always one thing I keep telling myself as I ponder this age-old art
question. My attitude towards producing useable work is the primary
reason I have made a good living as an artist for close to fifteen years
without a "day job." And isn't that what it is all about?
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 Wendy
Peck is a working Web designer and writer living in NW Ontario, Canada.
http://wpeck.com
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Next page
KISS: Keep It Simple ... : Tutorial Index
Why?
Following the Trends
Creating Background Files
Creating Background Files 2
Tricks for Text Menus
 
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