Book and magazine editors are used to mapping out design basics with designers, in terms of agreeing the basic template or structure for each spread. Once they've agreed the number of levels of heading, the number and type of feature boxes, pull quotes and everything else that lies beyond the main body of the text, they brief the author to write to these guidelines. At least, that's how it works in theory. (Unfortunately the design process often begins after the author's been commissioned, in which case the editor has the unhappy task of unpicking the text before pulling it back into its new shape, which is the equivalent of unpicking a Victorian costume and using the material to fashion a pair of jeans. Always interesting, but slightly nerve-wracking.)
So what's the deal with user-centred design?
Outside of blogs and story-sites, web users scan and grab. They come to web sites to satisfy goals, do tasks, and get answers to questions. The web is such a fast-moving environment that the user – and his or her very particular needs and habits – dictates not only what kind of content a website will include, but also what it looks like, how it's organised, the tone of voice and even the kind of words that are used. Strike that – a successful website uses the exact vocabulary of its users.
This is essentially what "user-centred design" means – it means having an extremely clear idea of your users and their habits before you even begin to think about design or textual content, and then mirroring those demands. It means that it's not even worth starting to put together a website before you know:
• all your major audiences
• their main characteristics
• their questions and tasks
• their stories (where have they been and where are they going? Where are they sitting and what were they doing just before they accessed your site? Improvise scenarios for your users, and imagine them as you would in a narrative.)
Once the site is in process, constant usability testing will keep it on track, and when it's up and running, there's a plethora of analytical tools that will keep it focused. Think of the web as a long conversation with your user. Talk to them – and only them.
Can't I just guess what they want?
Setting up a website is like creating business on a busy city street. It takes time, money, imagination and nerve. It's a company's public face, worldwide. It's a place where anyone can wander in and see what the company is up to. In this sense, it's the retail arm of any business, and the whole world is window-shopping.
Imagine setting up a cafe for your users – you wouldn't be thinking only about the menu and the kind of food you want to cook, but also about everything else that would make your customers feel comfortable. First of all you'd make sure your cafe was in the right location and type of building for the kind of cooking you produce (design theme), with decent parking (accessibility). You'd think hard about the shop front and your window space (home page), where you'll work hard to tempt them in. You want them to feel at home when they enter, so they find exactly the kind of furniture, flooring and colours they feel at home with (design), and you'd make sure the first thing they'd receive is a greeting, followed by swift and efficient service. Which is why you hand them a menu (home page textual content) – listing what types of product you can offer. Once the dishes start flowing (the other levels of your website), you can relax slightly, while making sure you're still serving up what's been ordered. No more and no less. Don't cram too much food on the table, or ask them too many questions. You're looking to provide efficient, unobtrusive service, where the customer never has to wait, and you have pre-empted their every need.
User-centred website design is Michelin-starred service. It's that simple, and that hard to achieve.
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