Datasheet
CHAPTER ONE FUTUREPROOF SURVIVAL TECHNIQUES
15
unnecessary; or they add too much information, media, or imagery to their pages think-
ing that substance in great quantity encourages more interaction. Of course, keeping your
design and content updated is necessary; just be rational about when and how to do so.
Note
Be sure to remove clutter from your interfaces. Often, pages become stagnant
and bloated as a result of mismanagement or residual features such as
animation e ects that you think look great but o er no real benefi t to users.
Overuse of design or content is a common problem, so try to keep your designs
tasteful.
Incorporating the latest and greatest features can be an improvement if your goal is to
improve users’ experiences. If you use these features mainly to compensate for poor-qual-
ity content, you could create a real problem for visitors to your site. For each new redesign
you create, just remember that your visitors’ learning curves will increase because they
must readapt to the new interface. e same goes for bundling more features and content
on a page. Simplicity is often better than complexity. Keep in mind that adding features
and too many choices may be a burden for some visitors.
Myth #6: You profile the average user or device
Design is rarely an objective art form, and as much as designers want to base their deci-
sions on the needs of users, designers’ personal biases and skewed perspectives can in u-
ence their work. For example, when designers think of a visitor, they often visualize an
idealized visitor rather than one based on reality. Moreover, when designers try to pro le
the type of environment visitors will be using, those pro les may fail to take into account
the di erences between di erent users’ experiences. e idea that an “average” user
(Figure 1-3) or browsing environment exists is unrealistic.
Figure 1-3: Designers often use personas to group variables together, forming a browsing scenario.
04_9781119978770-ch01.indd 1504_9781119978770-ch01.indd 15 10/25/11 1:08 PM10/25/11 1:08 PM