Good People // Bad Websites // How ?
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Consider an organization comprised of humans who are... - Highly Intelligent - Diligent - Thrilled by improving their own skills - Striving for the company's good - Delighted with their workplace environment - Eager to see progress, both personally and corporately --- That same organization has a website which... - Doesn't help anyone (sales, H-R, vendors, customers, anyone) - Overwhelms the viewer - Absolutely eliminates human concentration - Has a structure so complex that nobody gets it - Increases calls to support - Confuses almost everybody who views it ---------------- What do you believe are the factors which cause this ?
Same issue with the website of a company I recently worked for. Basically the CEO thought he could design it, but has no skills at organization or structure. Then gave it to a "creative" company without any requirements. They basically took the old website, and filled it with all kinds of multimedia. Again, no structure or organization (as expected with no requirements). The one item that the CEO was proudest of was a video (that takes forever to load) that is shown every time you go to the website! I now am contracting to the company, and one of things I may be working on is fixing this website (gotta love billable hours).
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Consider an organization comprised of humans who are... - Highly Intelligent - Diligent - Thrilled by improving their own skills - Striving for the company's good - Delighted with their workplace environment - Eager to see progress, both personally and corporately --- That same organization has a website which... - Doesn't help anyone (sales, H-R, vendors, customers, anyone) - Overwhelms the viewer - Absolutely eliminates human concentration - Has a structure so complex that nobody gets it - Increases calls to support - Confuses almost everybody who views it ---------------- What do you believe are the factors which cause this ?
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Consider an organization comprised of humans who are... - Highly Intelligent - Diligent - Thrilled by improving their own skills - Striving for the company's good - Delighted with their workplace environment - Eager to see progress, both personally and corporately --- That same organization has a website which... - Doesn't help anyone (sales, H-R, vendors, customers, anyone) - Overwhelms the viewer - Absolutely eliminates human concentration - Has a structure so complex that nobody gets it - Increases calls to support - Confuses almost everybody who views it ---------------- What do you believe are the factors which cause this ?
Management standing over the web programmer with a whip, staring at his watch, and saying, "Upper management has decided the web will be put online at the end of the day." That's been my experience. I've had web sites that took over a month to write in Classic ASP be scheduled to be converted to ASP.NET in only a week by management without bothering to consult with me on how long it would take.
Psychosis at 10 Film at 11 Those who do not remember the past, are doomed to repeat it. Those who do not remember the past, cannot build upon it.