Web 2.0 Distracts from Good Design

stevedcc writes "The BBC is running a story about web 2.0 and usability, including comments from Jakob Nielsen stating "Hype about Web 2.0 is making web firms neglect the basics of good design". From the article: "He warned that the rush to make webpages more dynamic often meant users were badly served. Sites peppered with personalization tools were in danger of resembling the 'glossy but useless' sites at the height of the dotcom boom."

Comments

He says this as if it's something new.

[AKAImBatman]

Hype about Web 2.0 is making web firms neglect the basics of good design, web usability guru Jakob Nielsen has said.

I hate to steal his thunder, but when have web firms ever payed attention to good design? I'm sure that such companies do exist, but every contract I've seen for a website design has resulted in something that would look absolutely gorgeous in print, but lacks usability when transfered to the more interactive medium of the web.

If you ask these firms to follow a particular procedure for development, they usually mess it up. Visually it may look right, but usability-wise it's just plain wrong. "Web 2.0 features" are just one more thing for design firms not to understand.

Now, if I can back up for a moment, I'd like to say that this situation is perfectly understandable. Website design firms are mainly staffed by artists rather than technologists. They may have skills enough to use off-the-shelf libraries to add whatever feature you're looking for, but they're not going to know how to properly implement a technology solution. That's why the world has Computer Science/Engineering majors.

The best solution is to develop a strong relationship with a specific design firm, then get them to ship only the mockups and assets used. Have the implementation of the mockups done by in-house programmers or trusted consultants. (I can't stress the "trusted" part enough here.) If the implementors find something that doesn't make sense visually, then they can send it back until the web design firm gets a feel for what is needed.

Together, these two teams will produce a far better website than either could have done independently. It may cost a bit more in the short term, but the result will cost you a lot less in maintenance in the long-term. Furthermore, the teamwork you develop between these teams will give your company a powerful source for website changes and improvements.

Nielsen is a twit

[startling]

Nielsen's own site is so poorly designed that it's clear he knows nothing whatsoever about design. I'm amazed he gets the publicity he does. How dare this buffoon comment on web design?