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\'Web design\' is a misnomer. Most web designers are coders who write the html and all that stuff. They do a great job and I never want to be without them. But getting them to design your navigation, layout, and style, and organise your copy is dumb. It\'s a bit like getting a carpenter who builds your house to do the architectural design and plans, design the kitchen, draw the street map, and knock up a leather lounge suite.

Web site users want easy clear navigation and useful accessible content first.

Many users are terrified of the Web. They get confused, lost, and frustrated. They don\'t feel in control - and

we are used to being in control.

So, let me tell you a story about an everyday activity that became a similar experience to trying to do the same task on some web sites.

Let me tell you a story
I went to a mall to buy my nephew a Harry Potter book. I hadn\'t been there before but hey - what could be so difficult? A sign said the bookshop was on the \'esplanade level\' whatever that is, I never did see it mentioned again. Eventually I stumbled across it looking for the toilets…

First I had to watch a two minute movie about the company and all the wonderful things they do! Boring. But once inside…the size of the place! I strolled around for a while in a dazed and confused state as I had absolutely no idea where anything was … it seemed to be laid out by a drunken librarian on some sort of sadistic streak. Very confusing.

Some time later I found a sign \'need help?\' Yes I did! The kindly assistant listened attentively, wrote down the name of the book - and walked off behind a door!

This was too much - figuring this was one of those experiences I need to forget I headed for the door …but why is this woman shouting at me? Ah! She had the book! Okay lady how much is it and I\'ll pay you right now and get home.

\'Sorry there\'s no price on the book, you have to come to the checkout counter and promise to buy it before we give you the price.\' This is too silly! But yes, I am stubborn, and yes, I want the darn book, so yes, I went to the checkout counter and bought the book.

At home my lovely wife asked why I had bought a book by Harold Slosh on \'My life as a Potter\'. I couldn\'t take it back - I didn\'t have a receipt.

The point is:
Users need to feel in control - the Web is an interactive environment where the user wants control and hates losing it. If you\'re happy to limit your market to the brave and web savvy then fine - make a smart web site that looks real funky and has lots and lots of links and stuff. And if you\'re a graphic designer or Macromedia Flash professional then of course you need to show off - but remember who you\'re targeting and make sure they can still use it - you\'re displaying the benefits of you\'re skills, not how darn clever you are.

If you want to reach the rest of the world (and this is the majority) you need user centred design right from the very start. You need design that guides and helps me, the user, so that I\'m comfortable and reassured.

You also need writing that helps me easily understand (and you\'ll probably want to sell me something too). Users care very little for flash design when they are after information or products. The Web is not a visual medium - it is words that do the work.

(Ed:  Keep an eye out for Tim\'s next article which gives some great practical pointers on getting your message across effectively)