what makes a perfect website perfect?

hospitalera · #1 (**permalink**) 01-07-2007, 10:22 PM

Seems that January is the favourite time to revamp our sites. I just purchased a domain&hosting service, but I need some input... Main feature will be the use as a portfolio site, but with other features (reference, links, etc.) added. So WHAT makes a good website? Any ideas highly appreciated SY

FlemishDreams · #2 (**permalink**) 01-07-2007, 11:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hospitalera

Main feature will be the use as a portfolio site, but with other features (reference, links, etc.) added. So WHAT makes a good website? Any ideas highly appreciated SY

It's important to fix your focus first. Gallery, Articles/links, Weblog, All 3.

About design: recommended reading:
http://www.webdesignfromscratch.com/
Web 2.0 design:
http://ypnblog.com/blog/2006/11/13/the-web-20-style/

Use an Open Source (OS) Content Management System (CMS) like Joomla - it will let you focus on content and not on layout. Many layouts (themes) are available for free for Joomla. Joomla can cater for links and articles.
http://www.joomla.org/

When you want a portfolio or gallery, check a dedicated and very popular OS CMS: Coppermine.
http://coppermine-gallery.net/index.php

Both environments are OS and free, but it takes some web-experience to fine-tune them. You don't need any programming skills though. You can even bridge Coppermine and Joomla.

hospitalera · #3 (**permalink**) 01-07-2007, 11:28 PM

Thanks, that was extremly helpful! SY

Gracey · #4 (**permalink**) 01-08-2007, 02:15 AM

For me it's the look and feel - and easy navigation. Too many animated things and music and I'm off the site right away.

I want stuff simple and easy - I want to see what I went there for, not tons of ads and things moooving :lol: Too much of that kind of stuff and people don't pay attention to the real attraction.

striver · #5 (**permalink**) 01-08-2007, 04:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gracey

For me it's the look and feel - and easy navigation. Too many animated things and music and I'm off the site right away.

I want stuff simple and easy - I want to see what I went there for, not tons of ads and things moooving :lol: Too much of that kind of stuff and people don't pay attention to the real attraction.

Yes! Yes! Yes!

Web designers take note...this is your customer base talking no matter how much you may believe otherwise. look at google and craig's list and wake up to the realities of big time web design. My site is as simple as it gets. I have written my own disk utilities in binary. If my customer base wanted fancy I could give them fancy that would make your head spin. But I know better.

rinderart · #6 (**permalink**) 01-09-2007, 06:52 PM

No flash crap, just simple and speed is the key.

hospitalera · #7 (**permalink**) 01-09-2007, 06:55 PM

Anybody knows about a decent album solution to integrate in the site? SY

striver · #8 (**permalink**) 01-09-2007, 07:37 PM

I first started doing web design as a beta tester for Compuserve's brand new web hosting service just after the internet went public over a decade ago. I gotta say...my first web sites were just like every other beginner in the business. I judged my own skill by the number of animated GIFs on my home page. I had java scrolling messages in the status bar and award badges all over the site. I really thought I was big time.

Then one day I got a chance to show off to the CEO of a very large company. I sent him my URL and he wrote right back that he couldn't navigate the site. You see...people like that are busy...very busy...VERY VERY busy. He surfed the Internet on a simple laptop with all graphics, java, scripting, active programming, etc. completely shut off. There went all my fancy, graphic based navigation.

That is how real decision makers are. I'm talking about the people who actually sign the big contracts. They want the bottom line first. Cut the crap and get to the point. The same applies to your web site and it isn't just the top dogs that are saying it now. That is the number one reason people give for liking sites like craig's list and google. The clean, simple interface stands out in a sea of flash bang fancy scripting that everyone is completely burned out on except for the programmers building it and a few scattered noobs who haven't seen enough of it in the two weeks they have been online.

But you can't convince some designers of that. They are convinced that bloated code is the way to go. I'll come right out and say it...this is 99 percent of the problem with istock. It is one of the most bloated sites on the Internet. People have told them this over and over and their response is typical of the breed. You can read it in a little note attached to their nightmare category system with over 2000 categories in a pop up java script window. I don't remember exactly what it said but it was along the lines of "No...just try it...once you get used to it you will like it."

ok...</rant>

dbvirago · #9 (**permalink**) 01-09-2007, 07:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rinderart

No flash crap, just simple and speed is the key.

You beat me to it. Flash is the worse thing to hit the web since blinking text. If I go to a site and have to wait for flash to play, I'm out of there.

dbvirago · #10 (**permalink**) 01-09-2007, 07:51 PM

Sounds like you've been on the net as long as I have. I was a beta tester for Prodigy if you remember that one. (Graphics? Why would I want graphics? I've got a 300 baud modem)

For years, the example of a great site was the original Yahoo. Clean, easy, and fast. Very few have learned the listen (including Yahoo)

The web has brought us instant gratification. If it takes more than a couple of seconds to do anything, it's too long.

Quote:

Originally Posted by striver

I first started doing web design as a beta tester for Compuserve's brand new web hosting service just after the internet went public over a decade ago. I gotta say...my first web sites were just like every other beginner in the business. I judged my own skill by the number of animated GIFs on my home page. I had java scrolling messages in the status bar and award badges all over the site. I really thought I was big time.

Then one day I got a chance to show off to the CEO of a very large company. I sent him my URL and he wrote right back that he couldn't navigate the site. You see...people like that are busy...very busy...VERY VERY busy. He surfed the Internet on a simple laptop with all graphics, java, scripting, active programming, etc. completely shut off. There went all my fancy, graphic based navigation.

That is how real decision makers are. I'm talking about the people who actually sign the big contracts. They want the bottom line first. Cut the crap and get to the point. The same applies to your web site and it isn't just the top dogs that are saying it now. That is the number one reason people give for liking sites like craig's list and google. The clean, simple interface stands out in a sea of flash bang fancy scripting that everyone is completely burned out on except for the programmers building it and a few scattered noobs who haven't seen enough of it in the two weeks they have been online.

But you can't convince some designers of that. They are convinced that bloated code is the way to go. I'll come right out and say it...this is 99 percent of the problem with istock. It is one of the most bloated sites on the Internet. People have told them this over and over and their response is typical of the breed. You can read it in a little note attached to their nightmare category system with over 2000 categories in a pop up java script window. I don't remember exactly what it said but it was along the lines of "No...just try it...once you get used to it you will like it."

ok...</rant>