Simplicity

 
Simplicity: Why it’s so popular
 

Gone are the days of pixel fonts, extravagant headers and long load times. They’ve been replaced by light-weight, easy on the eyes, and easy to use web interfaces. The new ‘in-thing’ is definitely simplicity with focus on good content, and I’m going to explain why.

Why are these complex designs no longer popular? Although designs like this do have their place, the truth is that the internet is going back to basics. Your average internet user isn’t coming to your site to see your robust flash intro, and they probably won’t stay because your site looks pretty. They’re there because they need relevant, quality content, and they want it fast.

Simple web designs accomplish a few important things:

* They help in getting users to stay longer. On average, visitors stay on the same page for about 50 seconds (or something like that). So, within the first 50 seconds, you need to capture the visitors attention. What do you use to capture their attention? Content, of course! You could use your pretty flash intro, but that will get you nothing more than one-time visitors who are either overwhelmed or couldn’t be arsed to stay a little longer and actually take a look at your content. A website should be easy to read, and that means there shouldn’t be any unnecessary distractions. Sorry my friend, but nifty flash headers are unnecessary distractions (especially the ones that could induce a seizure, but let’s not talk about those).
* They’re generally much easier to code, and design for that matter. As the designer and coder of most of my sites, I can’t tell you how much I’d rather create a simple website for a client instead of a complex one. The time invested in creating these nifty flash intros and cool graphics that do nothing but increase load times is just phenomenal.
* They let the user focus on content. Let’s reference back to those near seizure-inducing animations. Have you ever tried to read something on a site, only to find that you can’t concentrate on the content because of it’s surroundings, and that you had to copy and paste the content into Notepad just to read it? I sure have.
* They load faster. There’s no doubting that less images, less flash and more reusable graphics help in optimizing load times. You don’t want thirty seconds for a page to load, and neither do your visitors.
* They cater to the largest possible audience. Small font sizes might look better given the design, but if your visitor can’t read it, then your design choice just cost you a read (and maybe even a sale)! That giant header might look great, but does the guy on 56k who never got to load it really even care? Nope.
* I like them more! That should be reason enough!

So when you design your next website, remember that the focus is always on the user. You want your visitors to stay, so give them a reason to. Make your pages simple, and you’ll be rewarded. Make your site complex, hard to read, and a bandwidth-hog, and.. well, I won’t like your site.

10 Responses to “Simplicity: Why it’s so popular”

1. Ben Says:
March 6th, 2007 at 5:46 am

Be careful of making broad, sweeping generalizations of the design industry. You obviously have specific tastes and style but I would challenge you to address the larger, negative implications of simplicity as it relates to cultural growth and social responsibility…after all we’re designers - we should be conscious of our relationship to the flow of information through the world…
2. Simplicity: Why it’s so popular! Says:
March 6th, 2007 at 11:02 am

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3. Ben Says:
March 6th, 2007 at 11:37 am

It’s so popular because it’s so easy to digest - mentally. So come on…how about digesting something slightly more difficult and respond to something with weight. Simplicity is dangerous.
4. Cartoons Fans Lounge Says:
March 6th, 2007 at 10:02 pm

[…] simplicity with focus on good content, and I’m going to explain why. codes for X Men 2read more | digg story No Comments so far Leave a comment RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack […]
5. Simplicity: Why it’s so popular! « News Coctail Says:
March 13th, 2007 at 5:33 am

[…] Why it’s so popular! Filed under: Uncategorized — recar @ 10:32 am Simplicity: Why it’s so popular! Gone are the days of pixel fonts, extravagant headers and long load times. They ’ve been replaced […]
6. al Says:
March 27th, 2007 at 11:43 pm

“Gone are the days of pixel fonts, extravagant headers and long load times. They’ve been replaced by light-weight, easy on the eyes, and easy to use web interfaces.”

actually in the old days everyone was on dialups and it was of paramount importance to have very quick loading pages, then flash arrived but so did broadband and sites can now be generally heavier than they used to be.
Note: I am not advocating heavy sites, just stating that generally sites are heavier now
7. Tyler Lemieux Says:
March 28th, 2007 at 11:39 am

Hey Al. I’ve found in the years that I was on dial-up, that sites were heavier than they are now, but that’s just me. Thanks for the comment!
8. Matt C Says:
April 2nd, 2007 at 9:45 am

I’d add another reason. Lightening up your graphics and UI allows more room to include some of the helpful javascript/ajax libraries. Once you throw in prototype and scriptaculous, you’ll be glad you don’t use heavy graphics.

Of course, much debate has been waged on the size of javascript inclusions, but for many web applications it’s pretty much required.
9. Jason Blaizdel Says:
April 5th, 2007 at 3:16 pm
 

Growing up in East Texas, Dian Avriett loved to watch the turtles sunning on the banks of local rivers and lakes. But now she says it's rare to see them on those same waterways, and the reason is clear -- China's taste for Texas turtle meat.

Hundreds of thousands have been sold to dealers who ship the animals to Asia where the meat is considered a delicacy with health benefits. Some also fetch high prices around the world as pets.

"In Texas, anyone with a $50 dollar non-game permit can take as many (turtles) as they want," said Avriett, who chairs the Piney Woods group of the Sierra Club.

Global turtle populations are at risk, but conservationists said the problem is growing acute in Texas where there are no limits on the collection of unprotected varieties.

An average of 94,442 turtles per year are taken by dealers, mostly for export from the state, according to figures from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD).

Data from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service obtained under a Freedom of Information Act request showed more than 267,000 wild turtles were exported to Hong Kong from Dallas from 2002 to 2005, said Chris Jones, an environmental attorney who has lobbied for turtle protections.

Although there are no state-wide statistics showing declines in Texas turtle population, Jones said abundant anecdotal evidence exists. For example in one section of the Rio Grande river that had been a trap site, an adult turtle has not been seen in 10 years.

"They are taking them so fast the scientists can't study them," Jones said.

Now some varieties including the Texas river cooter could have some protection because the TPWD commissioners on May 24 approved a measure to prohibit the collection of wild turtles on public land.

But under that regulation, which is not yet on the books as law, collectors may harvest three varieties of turtles on private land; the red-eared slider, the common snapping turtle and five types of soft-shell turtles.

SLOW GOING

Turtles need protection from overharvesting because they are slow to mature and their young have a high mortality rate, said Lee Fitzgerald, an associate professor of herpetology at Texas A&M University who has published research on the Texas turtle trade.

"Their population can't take the removal of adults," said Fitzgerald. "If it continues, the population will collapse."

For example he said it takes a female box turtle 15 years to reach sexual maturity. Once at that stage she lays four or five eggs, and most of the hatchlings will not survive.

But Bob Popplewell, the state's largest exporter of live turtles to Asia, disagrees. He said there are plenty of turtles in Texas. And many are a nuisance to ranchers who say the turtles eat fish eggs and birds, and overcrowd their lakes and ponds, he said.

"People tell me they don't want one nasty, stinking turtle in their lake," said Popplewell, who is known as "Bayou Bob." "I've seen a decent-sized snapper pull down a full-grown goose. They are trained, stealthy predators."

Popplewell, who said he has received threats from animal rights activists, works with a network of hundreds of trappers across Texas who can earn up to $20 an hour for their work.

Once snared in net traps, the turtles are shipped to Asia by plane, he said.

The parties are divided over whether the state's proposed limits will protect the turtle population. Popplewell said 99 percent of the turtles his people harvest come from private lakes, so the changes will have little effect on his business.

Texas A&M's Fitzgerald described the protection measure as a step in the right direction, while conservationists say there should be a total ban on commercial turtle collection.