10 things
your web designer
does not want you
to know
Paul Boag (boagworld.com)

X
boagworld.com/websiteownersmanual/

The customer is always right

take back control

10 ways

1. Request Speculative Design

no excuse
never pay
never too busy
unconstrained

2. Don’t worry about users

obsessed
tell users
the big squeeze

3. Use instinct, not testing

testing - why?
to make money
you know already
hours vs. years
expensive
home based

4. form a committee

other opinions
not the designers
form a committee
design on fly
compromise
a tolerable design

5. be obsessed with detail

devil in the detail
designer too ‘arty’
micro manage
pixel pushers

6. enforce style guides

designers ignore
print vs web (BS)
ego is the reality
a firm hand
colour - pantones
fonts - use flash
logos

7. use all of the homepage

most important
users stop here
users do not click
maximise content
lost in the crowd?

8. remember the fold

limited space
users do not scroll
a myth?
the boss test

9. only test in IE6

hours of testing
a scam!
IE dominates
business uses IE6
compatible
upgrade notice

10. seo is more important

design is pointless
search matters
tricks/techniques
google guidelines
a sacrifice
repeat traffic?

the moral of the story...
Avoid speculative work Be flexible over style guides
Obsess over users Relax about the homepage
Always test There is no fold
Avoid design by committee Provide browser support
Use all your designers skills Its not just about SEO

thanks