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All Websites Look the Same

novolume.co.uk

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Re: All Websites Look the Same

#71

Post by mc808 »

kagamine wrote: post #36
avodonosov wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Contrast, you're right. And also, there are good examples of gray (low contrast) texts - some auxiliary elements. But when the main text - e.g. an article body - is published in low contrast so that I need to inspect HTML and disable the color to be able to read it, such cases make me sad :((( :)

I hear you, disable colour, ctrl+, ctrl+, ctrl+. OK, now I can read this!

For me it's usually ctrl-, ctrl-, ctrl-. I'd like to read more than 20 lines of text before scrolling. That's why I don't still use CGA.

Re: All Websites Look the Same

#72

Post by smoe »

kagamine wrote: post #36
avodonosov wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Contrast, you're right. And also, there are good examples of gray (low contrast) texts - some auxiliary elements. But when the main text - e.g. an article body - is published in low contrast so that I need to inspect HTML and disable the color to be able to read it, such cases make me sad :((( :)

I hear you, disable colour, ctrl+, ctrl+, ctrl+. OK, now I can read this!

I'm way too lazy for that, I simply close a page as soon as anything interferes with my reading experience. Whether it is small, low contrast text, survey or region selection popups seconds after initial page load, text jumping once the over sized inane stock photo in the header is finally downloaded, etc.

If the information contained is of any importance it will show up in a readable form somewhere eventually.

Re: All Websites Look the Same

#73

Post by thenomad »

So in summary, most websites have settled on a design with:

- Headline / key attention-grab in the most visible size possible

- Subhead / attention -> interest converter right below that

- Attractive visual element providing emotional context occupying as much screenspace as possible

- Benefits propositions right below those, exactly where you'd expect them to be if you're familiar with a Web browser

Sounds like a damn good approach to me. I mean, I'd be happy to see an even more efficient design that measurably increased conversion rates for most products, but if there's nothing currently out there, I'm OK with the state of the art :)

Re: All Websites Look the Same

#74

Post by nekopa »

mreiland wrote: post #59
mattkevan wrote: post #39

> At times I think back to when websites were produced in Flash. For all its downfalls (and there were a lot) one thing was always true. Flash sites rarely looked the same. The author clearly doesn't remember what it was actually like to arrive on a Flash site, and play the fun games of 'where has the designer hidden the navigation today?' and 'oh crap, how do I turn the sound off?'. Design patterns are there to ensu…

I fucking.hated.flash websites. HATED. With a passion. Even when it was being done it was a stupid tech trick from jackass developers, it was never a designer driven thing except as a means of doing layouts that were you couldn't do in html at the time. and it was NEVER about usability. I hated that trend and thank god it didn't last very long specifically BECAUSE it threw the users under the bus.

Honestly, as a website dev during the height of flash's dominance, I think you're a little off with your hatred.

During this time, it was extremely rare to have a designer involved in website design (I can't prove it, but I think you'll see a correlation with the growth of template sites at the time, I broke my back trying to learn design and color theory at the time and I still can't even draw a straight line freehand :) so what I normally had to deal with was the client as designer. Complete nightmare...

Here's one anecdotal data point:

I was designing an eshop for a client. He demanded a long flash intro to the site. I tried to lead him through an idea-

You want customers? Yes. You want repeat customers? Yes. You want them to have to wait 30 seconds every time they shop to watch your intro? Errr, yes! Ok.....

So I snuck in a huge skip intro button on the flash intro...

Call from client: 'hey, my buddies tell me that the intro is ruined by a big button saying 'skip intro'. Remove it now!!! It's degrading the experience!!!'

I tried, but hey, I got paid, and his business suffered in the long run- and I mean went bankrupt...

I know of few developers at the time who wanted to do flash intros. It was normally forced on them...

Re: All Websites Look the Same

#75

Post by dfragnito »

It so happened I was given 5 different pens over a course of a week. Each pen had a different interface twist, pull, slide, press, not one was of the traditional variety of clicking the top. The following week I had to go to the bank to sign something. The banker handed me a pen, I pulled, twisted, pushed, and could not figure it out then I realized it was of the tradituinal variety, and sheepishly clicked the top.

Re: All Websites Look the Same

#76

Post by wiredfool »

wingerlang wrote: post #48
exodust wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> "Most car dashes look the same"... Not sure what cars you've been driving, but search for 'car dash' on google images and bask in the differences. Saying that all websites should look the same might be reasonable when you're talking about one network or brand, but outside of that, creativity should be explored, encouraged and rewarded. Who wants a world with every restaurant, bar, urban design or any design looking…

> Not sure what cars you've been driving, but search for 'car dash' on google images and bask in the differences. They are all minor/semi-major style differences. But in the end they all have a round wheel, some buttons in the middle and some form of RPM+speed meters. Definitely wouldn't say I am basking in differences.

You don't drive a Renault, do you.

Re: All Websites Look the Same

#77

Post by ino »

mercer wrote: post #54
pun_Krawk wrote: post #10

I take issue with the current 'standard' design, but only indirectly. I feel like giant home screens give companies the freedom to create a great looking webpage without any actual content - like a giant landing page. Since they all look the same, it's easy to compare and contrast. I can recall a number of times scrolling through the entire home page for a company, only to still be confused about what the product act…

When it comes to 'landing pages' (where describing the purpose of a company or product is the goal), I think the problem is primarily that it's just really hard to do right, content-wise. The visual design is at most a secondary problem. A more general-purpose home page has it's challenges, of course, but often it's really just about showing something pretty and guiding users to pages such as 'pricing', 'buy/shop', '…

A few days ago I wanted to check pricing/features of linode, so I googled linode and clicked on the first link:

http://welcome.linode.com/features/

This gave me 0% of what I wanted and no way to get there, I was confused before I realized it was just a glorified shitty landing page.

Fuck them for trying to scam me into creating an account and making me waste my time, I thought.

Re: All Websites Look the Same

#78

Post by callum85 »

All startup websites look the same. They all use this template because it perfectly addresses their goals (grab your attention, explain a new kind of product, convince you to sign up) while also being familiar and repeatable. That doesn't concern or surprise me.

Other kinds of web page with a standard design style include: shopfronts, forums and Q&A sites, search engine result pages, shopping carts, calendar apps, video sharing sites.

Trying to look irregular just for the sake of it is bad.

Re: All Websites Look the Same

#79

Post by mattkevan »

mreiland wrote: post #59
mattkevan wrote: post #39

> At times I think back to when websites were produced in Flash. For all its downfalls (and there were a lot) one thing was always true. Flash sites rarely looked the same. The author clearly doesn't remember what it was actually like to arrive on a Flash site, and play the fun games of 'where has the designer hidden the navigation today?' and 'oh crap, how do I turn the sound off?'. Design patterns are there to ensu…

I fucking.hated.flash websites. HATED. With a passion. Even when it was being done it was a stupid tech trick from jackass developers, it was never a designer driven thing except as a means of doing layouts that were you couldn't do in html at the time. and it was NEVER about usability. I hated that trend and thank god it didn't last very long specifically BECAUSE it threw the users under the bus.

Most Flash sites were pretty bad (the first site I made was Flash, and it was bad), but it was also used to create possibly the finest website ever made.

http://superior-web-solutions.com/

Turn the sound up, and definitely do not skip the intro. It'll bring a tear to your eye.

Re: All Websites Look the Same

#80

Post by jbb555 »

Most websites are aweful. My monitor is almost 2000 pixels wide and they insist in packing their whole text into about a 10cm little strip of it. I see so many websites that want me to read about 5 words in a row when there is space for about 30 if they weren't too lazy to use the whole screen.

I guess they prefer arty over practical.

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