Paul Boag has posted recently at Smashing Magazine a great article about corporate website problems entitled 10 Harsh Truths About Corporate Websites. Actually the whole article is great. Yet point number 8 got most of my attention and empathy – it deals with corporate website design. If you are a freelance web designer, like me, you have probably gone through that situation. I have gone several times through that and I have a very recent case of mine in which I had to re-code the site five times because the partners of my client couldn’t make up their mind. I have brought that section below for you:
8. Design By Committee Brings Death
The ultimate symbol of a large organization’s approach to website management is the committee. A committee is often formed to tackle the website because internal politics demand that everybody has a say and all considerations be taken into account. To say that all committees are a bad idea is naive, and to suggest that a large corporate website could be developed without consultation is fanciful. However, when it comes to design, committees are often the kiss of death.
Design is subjective. The way we respond to a design can be influenced by culture, gender, age, childhood experience and even physical conditions (such as color blindness). What one person considers great design could be hated by another. This is why it is so important that design decisions be informed by user testing rather than personal experience. Unfortunately, this approach is rarely taken when a committee is involved in design decisions.
Instead, designing by committee becomes about compromise. Because committee members have different opinions about the design, they look for ways to find common ground. One person hates the blue color scheme, while another loves it. This leads to designing on the fly, with the committee instructing the designer to “try a different blue” in the hopes of finding middle ground. Unfortunately, this leads only to bland design that neither appeals to nor excites anyone.
I hope you loved this realistic piece of writing about corporate web design. To enjoy the whole article read more at Smashing Magazine.