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chapter 3 Website Development
further reading ...
Note that I’ve included some articles that are a couple of years old ...
don't let their publication date put you off - they are still relevant now.
The most recent posts are at end of each section.
This book covers only the essentials – for links to wider coverage of the
subjects take a look at the web pages for Digital Marketing; a Practical Approach.
Website management and development
The book makes no mention of a domain name for a website – so here’s some help;
Domain names, everything you need to know to choose the right domain name.
There are some good tips from someone who is worth listening to in Knowing when to say no (and yes).
Since 1996 I have been having a rant about the role of ‘techies’ in online marketing. I’ve always argued that effective digital marketing has to be a collaborative effort between all the necessary skills. More lately, I thought the situation had improved – then I read this article which trumpets such collaboration [at the New York Times] as ‘a paradigm shift’ and that braking down its martech and engineering silos resulted in ‘gains [that] were too productive not to merge them’. Hmmmm … maybe: [a] many organizations are still behind the loop on this issue [if so, why?], or [b] I really was ahead of my time back then [I wasn’t]. Here’s why The New York Times broke down its martech and engineering silos.
Army's £113m recruitment website 'was 52 months late' is an example of how things can go wrong - and how much websites can cost [though 113 million pounds does seem excessive].
Gerry McGovern and I have been singing from the same hymn sheet for around 25 years, with his articles always being worth your time - if you're in a rush, just read the last two paragraphs of The dangers of exceptionalism. Oh, and I've put it in this section as it is more about management than it is about website design. Another one from the author of Skills of a great digital designer.
How five charities convey purpose through tone of voice.
10 brands with hilariously funny product page copy has examples of the voice of an organization.
Top marks to the organization for recognising this was necessary. Bottom marks for being 20 years late ... How the British Red Cross revamped its website, from 4,000 pages to just 400.
Although Four brands with a brilliantly funny tone of voice is about social media, it applies equally to websites.
Does your website still matter in a mobile world?
Mobile vs. Desktop: Visits and Search Trends - spoiler: websites are visited most on PCs.
The voice of a website is important – here are some examples …
The text mentions content management systems – why we care about traditional content management systems, the original no-code tool tells you much more about them.
Three reasons your company has missed the whole point of corporate digital communications is actually just one of a series of linked articles. Although the focus is on corporate sites, I think the issues are relevant to all sites, but I’ve put it here as it is a strategically focused.
Usability
Ignore the publication date – all website UX starts with Jakob Nielsen's 2000 book
Designing Web Usability. New Riders. Nielsen joined up with an equal talent to form the Nielsen Norman Group and here's some short videos that explain a number of aspects of UX issues – well worth around 25 minutes of your time.
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Designers are Not Users.
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Design thinning.
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Flat Design Decreases User Efficiency.
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Hamburger Menus Hurt UX Metrics.
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UX challenges in designing for Millennials.
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Emotional Design.
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Logo Placement Affects Web Navigation and Brand Recall.
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What is Omnichannel UX?
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Ideation doesn't waste time, it saves time.
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Will People Be More Tech Savvy in 10 Years?
* Virtual Reality and User Experience.
and some articles from the same source ...
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Computer Skills: Worse Than You Think.
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Scrolling, attention, scanning & reading patterns.
Seven principles of effective digital navigation.
The value of user experience design for brands with e-commerce websites.
From the early days of the web I have argued that if a user can't work a website they're not stupid - the developer is. This mantra is mirrored in Steve Krug's excellent 2000 book on usability; Don't make me think. Since then, I've used the phrase every time I see trendy web design that is good in the developer's head - but not in real life. That 62% of shoppers that struggle to complete purchases abandon their carts and 52% of digital consumers left to shop with a competitor is the message to developers everywhere: as I've been saying since 1996 ... it's the customers that pay the developers' wages. No sales = no income = no jobs.
Visual Hierarchy in UX - the page’s visual hierarchy controls the delivery of information from the system to the end user — it lets users know where to focus their attention.
Aesthetic and Minimalist Design could be in other sections of this chapter - but it does focus on usability. It's a good read, but one thing I do not think it empahsises is the objective of the website and whose site it is. For example, you would expect a fashion designer's website to have more aesthetic appeal than, say, that of a local government department. The same could be said of Web Design Trends and Statistics 2021 - and would also add that much of this advice is similar to what was common knowledge/opinion at the turn of the century.
I've been going on about Design for the Elderly for so long that I have now joined the ranks of the elderly!
Citibank just got a $500 million lesson in the importance of UI design is an extreme example - but the story revolves around a badly designed online form. Furthermore - in my opinion - it looks like an example of the form's designer not being fully aware of its use and objectives. Had it been co-designed, or at least tested, by a member of staff of the bank - not the design team - this whole affair would never have happened.
Although Half of us haven’t been able to use basic online services during pandemic is about access to information, I've always argued the same issue applies to commercial sites where 'techies' like to use the latest technologies - but this is not always best for the users' experiences. As I've said to many computer scientists, 'if the customer can't use the site, they won't buy anything ... and it's their purchases that pay your wages.
Three UX and accessibility lessons from National Rail’s greyscale fiasco.
Brands could lose fickle Gen Zers over poor digital experiences concentrates on e-commerce - but the message is the same for any kind of site.
For a good marketing argument for making websites accessible, follow the link on the chapter’s website. If you can get past the fact that Why web accessibility must be a staple offering among agencies’ services is actually an advert – there’s some good stuff in it.
Infinite Scrolling: When to Use It, When to Avoid It.
The basics
Another article where you should ignore the date it was published. I particularly like the comment at the beginning: 'Marketing comes first'. See 100+ Questions You Must Ask When Developing A Web Site.
Don’t underestimate the power of a good website concentrates on the basics.
Ignore the fact that Topic Clusters Improve Rankings, Traffic has a focus on SEO - it is actually about good website design. Note how the 'topic cluster' model - in essence - follows the same concept as my site architecture example on page 36.
Some of the basic principles of good practice were established around the turn of the century ... How People Read Online: New and Old Findings is an example.
The Need for Speed, 23 Years Later.
How to Draw a Wireframe (Even if You Can’t Draw) takes my site architecture several steps further.
You could consider
Core Web Vitals: Google is not backing down in the fight against the slow web to be part of SEO - but it's just good web development practice.
I’ve included The Dos and Don’ts of Pairing Typefaces simply as an example that there is more to the development of effective websites than meets the eye.
Consumer’s reasons for abandoning a digital transaction or task could – or maybe should – be in the next chapter [on e-commerce], but I think the issues in Slow Page Load Times Drive Customers and Visitors Away are relevant to all websites, not just retail sights.
Site architecture
Journey Mapping is not exactly site architecture - but it does add another aspect to the subject, and Mapping User Stories in Agile takes the whole thing a stage further.
How Many Items in a Navigation Menu? [3 minute video].
Creating clear menus and links.
I have included SEO How-to, Part 8: Architecture and Internal Linking here to make the point about the importance of SEO to website development. Notice how in this article the structure of the website is emphasized for SEO purposes. I would argue that the website should have such a structure for usability purposes - with the bonus that it also increases SEO. Customers come first. Ironically, the search engines know this - it's why they 'reward' good structure.
Content development
I could put links to the work of Drayton Bird in just about every chapter of the book where the subject includes writing some kind of copy or content. I've decided to make do with The best job seeking letter I have ever read as it could be valuable to students - or anyone - looking for work. If you want more from Mr Bird, have a look around his website [at the time of writing he was offering an excellent deal on some of his books].
Copywriter vs. Content Writer: Skills, Writing Fees and Expectations covers several issues - not least that if you want quality textual content you have to pay for it.
There is nothing really new in What Consumers Want From Brand Content: 4 Insights - but it does confirm that the old stuff is right.
Don't be put off by the 'technical expert' phrase in the title of Technical Experts Need to Get Better at Telling Stories - the advice applies to all 'experts'.
10 brands that use illustration to stand out online.
The key phrase in Alibaba: Skilful journalism makes corporate news engaging is 'run by former journalists'.
Non-standard Product Images Can Spur Sales [but they cost more].
Although Apple – A thoughtful recap of key points is about an e-commerce page, the idea could apply to other sites/pages also.
What is a UX writer and how does it differ from a content designer? could have gone in the previous section on usability - but it's about content development, so I've put it here.
15 Photoshop Tutorials for Product Photography reads rather like an ad for Photoshop, but I've included it here just to show what might be involved in developing images for a website. Obviously, the more images on a site, the more it is an issue - a big e-commerce site, for example.
I think that Goldman Sachs : Daily videos highlight people and trends offers a sound idea - but there are two issues that I would raise: [1] coming up with subjects for a daily event, and [2] I wonder how many and how often they will be read - and by whom.
Presentation, Explainer Videos Remain Popular.
Although the concept is quite popular, in the text I don’t mention customer personas – though what I do say is very similar to the notion. In Back to the Basics: The Importance of Buyer Personas take particular notice of the list of car rental customers and you’ll see why I say this.
I’ve included How to hire quality content writers as an example of what is involved in writing effective content – and why you shouldn’t do it yourself.
The global web presence
Languages online … the usage of content languages for websites ... historical yearly trends in the usage statistics of content languages for websites.
Lost in translation - an example.
Ambev - Lost in Google translation.
It's dated, but the advice in Web designs that communicate across cultures is pretty basic - and it includes some very good examples.
Although the message in Intel – Initial confusion could apply to all websites, it is the lack of local knowledge by international visitors that is the main problem.
Although SEO for multi-language websites: How to speak your customers’ language focuses on SEO, but it also covers the issue of different languages on websites.
Although Dolce & Gabbana's branding at all time low in China after racist ad scandal is a story about advertising, I have included it here as an example of offending local consumers. Notice how serious the repercussions for the brand are - and how difficult it may be for it to recover.
China makes customer experience in the West feel outdated.
Digital China in 2019: Trends and recommendations.
Getting people where they need to be: Six of the best corporate online directories for country sites, brand sites and social media.
The best digital marketing stories in China: May 2019.
Modify Your Design for Global Audiences: Crosscultural UX Design.