Is simpler better for website design? I have held to this maxim for years now, but after today's class I'm not so sure it's true. Today we discussed website design with the many personas of potential viewers in mind. Website design has often been regarded as more art than science, but I believe that in class Professor Kagan successfully demonstrated that the design process is scientific and can be accurately measured and tuned to optimize the viewer's experience.
The key to successful design is a combination of researching past design (using tools like the "Way Back Machine"), using proper keyword and link allocation that we discussed in class, and leveraging available optimizer tools like Google's Website Optimizer. There is really an overwhelming amount of information that one can use for web design, yet it does not lead to one clear layout or template for perfect design.
I think this is because designers are catering to all potential visitors and their various viewing habits and idiosyncrasies. Even broken down by visitor's personas, there are various possible viewing patterns (such as the one shown above). It stands to reason then that though we cannot please everyone, there is a happy medium to be found that covers the majority of the website's target visitors by combining the dominant patterns into a website that is a mosaic of the various styles dictated by target viewers' personas.
