I’ve been thinking a bit about how design differs from development on the web, and more specifically, HTML.
Development remains the same (as long as the tools don’t change).
More often than not, there is a clear semantically correct way of coding the content of a site in HTML. For example, the main navigation is typically marked up using an unordered list because the items have no sequence and can be viewed in any order. For example:
<ul>
<li>Home</li>
<li>About</li>
<li>Services</li>
<li>Contact</li>
</ul>
It’s pretty hard to argue that a list should be marked up otherwise. As long as we’re using HTML4 or HTML5 to build a site , the above code is generally accepted to be correct. As the language and the web itself evolves along with the way we interact with it, this is sure to change in the future.
However, what can be argued is the way it should be designed. Of course, there are many factors that will need to be considered when designing the navigation, and by extension the entire site. The users, the purpose of the site, the results of usability tests, etc. will all play a part in deciding the best layout for the site. But when it comes to actually designing the navigation, there are as many different ways of designing it as there are designers, and then some.
Design evolves and matures over time.
The way I would design the navigation now is probably very different than I would design it a year from now. My own personal design style will evolve and mature. Users’ habits will probably change at a much slower rate, but they too will change slightly as time goes and the web changes. Design is something that must therefore continually be worked on.
Noel Wiggins February 2nd, 2010 at 11:32 am
When I design projects I try and document how I design the project so that the next time it comes around I can streamline the creative process, to try and save down time and make sure I get a project done within the amount of time that was budgeted for the project. But how can your streamline a creative process that is always changing and evolving., especially when I agree with you that How I design today will most likely be different than a year from now…
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Thanks and Regards
Noel for Nopun.com
a graphic design studio
tony February 2nd, 2010 at 12:15 pm
Thanks for commenting Noel, and you do raise an excellent point when it comes to streamlining a creative process that is constantly evolving. But is it the creative process that changes, or is it more the output of the process? There are a few things that help me when it comes to this:
1. Experience. Having worked on a number of projects over the years I have a good idea of how long it takes me to work on a design, on average – sometimes I nail it pretty quickly, sometimes I don’t.
2. The creative process itself helps to streamline my work. As you can see from my services page, I have a step by step process for every project that I work on. So even though the output of the work itself will mature and evolve over time, the way I go about doing it remains the same.
Johns Beharry February 2nd, 2010 at 1:41 pm
Just as a side note on semantics XHTML 2/5 is going to allow you to markup normal element as a link if I understand correctly. Navigation would be something like this:
Home
<li…
I think that’s a better way of doing it than what the HTML5 spec provides.
As for the design of these elements I’ve been trying to figure out what exactly makes a design good. It’s difficult to come to a conclusion with something as subjective as art & design. And when it comes to the web we have a plethora of new problems to solve.
Something can be beautifully useable but doesn’t equal in aesthetics. On the other hand something could be wonderfully designed (aesthetically) but lacks the former.
Furthermore if I got my fairly large website to load exceptionally fast, does that count as good design?
I think that’s when we have to question “what is the aim,” then we can understand design better and create lasting works.
Oh and another note: Since ul>li is the correrct way of doing navigation what is to say the default “design” doesn’t work just as the code do.
Just my subjective thoughts…
tony February 2nd, 2010 at 2:38 pm
Hi Johns, really great additions to the discussion. You’re right, there are so many factors that come into play during the design part of the process.
Looks like the comment form also ate part of your code so I’m not sure what you were trying to say :) With respect to HTML5 I’ve been reading Dive Into HTML5 as my primer on it, though I have yet to use it in any of my projects.
Tony Buford February 28th, 2010 at 10:43 pm
re: Johns Barry…
I think that the web community should do what the design community did long ago: agree that aesthetics and product functionality are two different animals.
In advertising, for example, awards are consistently given for creative design, from a purely visual standpoint, by clubs, groups and magazines around the world.
But, the New York branch of the American Marketing Association, started awards they call the Effies, which specifically awards the most Effective advertising of the year. Not the prettiest, most ironic or most hip and trendy. But the ones that work.
The web should do the same. Don’t hate Flash. Evaluate its efficacy vs. JQuery or HTML5. THEN determine your future.
tony February 28th, 2010 at 11:36 pm
Thanks for joining the discussion Tony.
That’s interesting about the Effies, I’ll check them out. I’d like to see just how they compare to the other awards.