Blog - Communication

I have been meaning to write this blog entry since I first created the blog. So six months later here goes.

As a web designer its is my role to facilitate the communication of information between the customer and a web user through a web site. My premise is that this is a timeless process but one which is becoming more and more compromised by modern web design techniques and design processes, to the detriment of the customer. That is, of course, unless they use TWS.

In a nutshell, I hark back to the time when broad sheet newspapers ruled supreme. I actually have a lot of very old newspapers, dating between 1834-1902 and they are a wealth of information, communicated in the timesless fashion I reffer to.

So, you might be thinking, what do 150 year old newspapers have to do with modern websites. Well, the answer is subjective and down to interpretation, but I beleive they have everything to do with modern websites as they repesent a timeless effort at communicating that is still valid today. If you read a shortish column from an old newspaper you will harness the contents meaning. There are no pictures, no infographics, and no dynamic elements, its just text, just like this blog entry, a long column of text, but a column of text that communicated and communicated perfectly.

So, looking at things from another level, how do web sites communicate? Mostly they have pages on certain topics and subjects, for example, a page on CNC Milling. Taking this topic as an example, the services offered by a CNC miller might change as they get new machinery but they will remain the same in principle, in the same way that an article in 1880 on metal machining might demonstrate remarkable similarities to one written today. The machines and technologies might have changed, but the supplier / customer relationship has not. People require components machined out of metal to certain specifications, and a CNC Miller will provide them.

Cutting to the chase, many websites now obfuscate that message, that level of communicating, by adding more and more complex widgets and processes, making the web pages more and more involved so much so that they cease to communicate effectivly. For example, I was looking at a website today where instead of a plain text list they had graphic images that you had to put your mouse over to see what they were. That is totally against the core teachings of Steve Krugg in Dont Make Me Think, the seminal text.

At TWS I use the principle of Brochure Grade web pages. This is a little misleading as a term as many people instantly say that they dont care about brochures and dont care about the process. In essence, having a brochure grade web page means that each page stands alone as a document that communicates the menaing of its topic. As such, you could go to a trade show and if someone asks you about your CNC Milling services you can offer them a page printed out directly from your web site, the page on CNC Milling. That document could be presented in a wallet with several other pages, but added becuse of the visitors interest directly in CNC Milling.

However, its more involved than that. That is just the analogy. The process is actually focussing on the content of the page. Does it make sense. Does it read well. Being able to print it out, although a core feature of TWS web services, is not the primary matter at hand. There is however, a better way to communicate this now and it comes via feature on some web browsers, Chrome I think, and thats to view just the text on the page. Essentially it removes all the clutter, I think the feature is called declutter mode, but I have seen it in several guises. The point is, it makes your web sites look like just a column of text. Just like a newspaper colum from 1850.

Now, we have come full circle.

That does not mean we have to create content like we did 150 yers ago, but its always worth bearing in mind the basics.

So what does this mean? Well, for one, its a sober reminder that you dont have to constantly revamp your web sites. The idea of a website revamp is quite frustrating as many TWS customers have quite adequate websites that communicate adequatly. Although, more frustratingly there are customers who unfortunatly have not grasped the concept of primary communication, and decide that they want to take a web site that does not perform at brochure grade level and then revamp it to something that still doesnt perform to broochure grade level, but looks fresh. Same crap, different busket. They just dont read the content or reflect on it or even understand what they are saying to the world. Of course most TWS customers are sterling individuals and not subject to this failing. But many other businesses have websites that simply dont communicate. They say things like. We offer CNC Milling services and all our customers like our CNC Milling services and dealing with our highly experienced staff and always come back to us. This low level content pervades the internet, and has a longevity far beyond the container design its kept in.

But its even a little more involved than just that. Many web design companies suffer from what I define as out of the box syndrome where they are constantly trying to push themselves to create great out of the box solutions that amaze customer and wow everyone. This sydrome is often driven, in my opinion, by a need to justify their own existance by breaking their own backs to offer dynamic all singing and dancing sites that make them feel like they have created something, and justify their high fees.

The truth of the matter is that web design is not that complaex. Although it is still more challenging than some might imagine, an experienced web designer can usually put a site together with the tools at their disposal and their experience in a short time. The complex process in many cases is moreover the challenge to capture the clients communication requirements and preperation of communication (brochure quality pages) that make sense and deliver a business message. However, many modern design companies instead fill the pages with dynamic elements that no one wants, social media icons that really dont serve any purpose other than make a designer feel that the design is with it. After all, how many industrial companies are there with empty Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn timeslines? Just about all of them.

You can test this, especially if you are using a browser with a declutter mode, often shown as a book icon in the address bar or as an option in the options tab. Simply select that and read the text, if there is any. So many pages exist that have the bare minimum of content. They exist supported soley by the surrounding page structure, the navigation and links around the page, its template. However, the way I have always done this is to print preview the page in Firefox. The idea there being that you get a result that you could give out at a trade show.

You can try it on this page.

You can also test this process out by looking at any other site on the internet. Keep a mental tally of how many pass the test. If your in Firefox, you can do a print preview, if you have a text only or declutter mode on your browser you can use that, as shown below.

Its worth bearing in mind that a print preview, which is defined by the CSS markup if you have it, most websites dont, is different to a browser based text or declutter view.

Thats it really, there is no major point, but I did want to create this blog entry and have been meaning to do it for a while. The subject is communication, communication via web sites.

In short, the principle of communication is timesless. And as long as your site keeps up with certain advances such as the move from tables to css and then to responsive design, your web site does not need constant revmping and redesigning. TWS has customers that it gained in 2003-4 who still have the same sites 12 years later and have not had redesigns. They have been modified to keep them up to date, the essence of management, but the message is the same, although some text has been altered. The principle of communication is the same. You can look at engineering company brochures from the 1970s and the communication is the same. You could lmost use them again.

Another point worth bearing in mind is that of loosing content, and communication. I have seen numerous people go from a great site with numerous pages with high quality content, only to have a new designer prepare a new site that condences down the contrnet to a WHAT WE DO page, loosing all serious communication efforts. For exmple, a page on WHAT IS POWDER COATING. Really, if a person doesnt know what powder coating is then they probably arnt a great prospect. Whilst there will always be valid customers that might not know what powder coating is, most decent prospects will already know. Instead tey will want content that communicates the sytems you offer, the capacity, the available gloss levels, the textures, colours and pretretments, polyesters coatings, hybrid coatings etc etc. Would you choose a holiday from a company that offered a comprehensive and readily digestable range of holiday options or a site whose content explained WHAT IS A HOLIDAY? Really, if you dont know wht a holiday is, then you probably arent about to buy one.

Hopefully this blog entry will give you food for thought whether you are contemplating a revamp or just considering what exactly it is your website is trying to do. If you want to discuss this, please call.