I've decided that web design is largely a thankless job. You can't please everybody all of the time, and on top of it, people are always either too reluctant or too willing to offer armchair advice. I find it amusing that there seem to be so many books and sites dedicated to how not to design a web site.
Perhaps what's really bothering me is the world's obsession with glitz. We want glitzy cars, glitzy movies, glitzy stores, and among all things, glitzy software and websites. Considering my recent thoughts on bugs, sometimes I wonder how many bugs are caused by glitz. Don't get me wrong, certain software, like Mac OS X, is glitz done right. It's not gratuitous, it's not overwhelming, but it's catchy and pleasant. This is contrasted to, say, MSN messenger which I have more than once likened to a lollypop.
Business-minded people want bullet points, but bullet points are a cliche to many people. Teens want pretty eyecandy. Those slightly older just want something pleasing to the eye. People want information to be easy to find, but nobody wants to read the information once they find it.
Do you leave something that people either love or hate, or find something everyone finds merely OK? It's a crap shoot, and really, can you ever win? If someone ever writes a book, "How to design something so everyone loves it," I'll buy two copies: one to read, and one to keep on display as the best book ever written.
Agreed. Big-Up Kevin. Speaking of glitz gone bad , in particular, Microflop glitz. Please have a look at this article concerning MS Internet Explorer:
http://securityfocus.net/columnists/249
"put the crack down and step away from the pipe"
Cheers.
I would love a book "How to design something so everyone loves it".