WAY2WEB: Web Design & business...

Writing Web Experiences

When you visit a website, what do you notice first? The design, and layout. Of course, that is the first thing that runs through anyone's mind. But after you get past those first couple of seconds of "WOW!", or even "Yuck!", you start to focus on what you came here for: the text!

The writing on a site is key. As a designer, you typically think of yourself as someone who makes the website look cool. All of the technical work is your domain. Then, you generally think of content as some one else's job. However, the role of a designer is changing.

We've all done it before (even I've done this!) - the client said design it, and we'll throw in the content later. While this may give the client what they want, that being a website design, it doesn't give the site a purpose. Without content, a website is an empty shell.

Design the experience, not the pixels

As a designer, you are responsible for what the site looks like, and how the user experiences the site. It is important to get this experience right. However, once you get past the design, you realise that the text is actually more important that the pixels.

There is no point in creating a really cool design for a site, if the text you get is pathetic. No one will visit the site, and you will loose your job as designer - and no one wants this! Design is more than pixels, it is what the user sees and experience.

Lorem Ipsum might be a great space filler but it means nothing! As a web designer, you should know what the audience is like. You should know how they think, and how they operate. Knowing this knowledge, you have more credibility to writing a website than anyone else!

Expand, and start writing

So, if you are a web developer, start learning to write. If you are a soloist web designer, or work as a part of a small business, then this is a skill you can never go wrong with. Your next client might just happen to ask if you write content as well - and ask for examples of previous work. And, of course, you could quite possibly get a bit more cash for your efforts.

If you are someone looking to hire a web designer, see if they can write for your website too. As a starter, get them to write the about page on your site - just to see how they go. Of course, you should pay a bit more for someone who writes content too, as it will save you much time and frustration trying to get it right yourself.