The IC3 Blue Train - A little journal about design, marketing, sales and other matters

What’s a good jazz piece, pop song or piano sonata? What’s a good website?

Producing a new website is like creating a piece of music. You need a composer to define the architecture of the site, its main components and the navigation from one part to another. The composer writes the score, i.e. the software putting all parts together. You also need an interpreter to translate the desired objectives into some harmonious graphic design blending forms and functions. The interpreter makes the site look (sound) right.

In the music sector, the creation is mostly ex nihilo, i.e. without input from audiences or other persons. You often have a poet writing the lyrics, a composer inventing the melody, an interpreter giving life to the song, and a producer promoting the piece. In other cases, the same person or group plays all four roles. The public, music pundits, DJs and media of all sorts (and of all levels of ‘influence’) decide on what’s a good song and what’s not.

For websites, the production responds to the site owner’s need and wants. The owner’s requirements are translated by the producer who is, in many case, the site builder and architect, i.e. the software guru who knits all the pieces together. The producer liaises with the graphic artist who interprets the original requirements to generate banners, menus bars, logos, illustrations, pictures, colour schemes & tutti quanti. The producer integrates the technical elements with the artistic pieces to create a prototype for review by the owner. After several iterations, the owner gives his/her blessing and the website goes live on the net. Phew! In some cases, these different roles are played by independent professionals. In others, agencies offer a one-stop shopping (at a price).

Up front, the main decision on whether the site is good or not is with the owner. Later, the ranking of the site is decided by a ‘subtle’ combination of users / visitors, media of all sorts, search engine optimisation techniques and … mighty Google. But the ranking doesn’t necessarily tell whether a site is good or not. I’m flabbergasted by the number of horrendous sites that rank high in searches.  

How come? I think we have to keep in mind that music has been with us for centuries. It is part of our diverse cultures. People can instinctively decide when a song is nice and harmonious; when it vibrates with moods, feelings and emotions. We must have some music genes somewhere in the ADN.

In contrast, websites have been with us for less than twenty years. The genes are not formed. Few people can tell a good site from a bad one. There are no yardsticks like a Duke Ellington piece, a song from the Beatles or a Chopin sonata. Many websites out there are a total cacophony frustrating visitors trying to enjoy the journey or achieve something. Too many website producers are still ‘cowboys’ flogging bad technical and artistic quality to gullible owners for ridiculously high or, paradoxically, low prices.

More on this subject in upcoming entries.