What Is Your Experience on Good Websites?

Tim Hayden has challenged my thinking on what makes for good websites. I’ve been more of a fan of functionality than design, but I’m learning that the two don’t necessarily have to be mutually exclusive.

Disclaimer: I’m sure this has been written about by super smart people ad nauseum on-line. I’ll more than likely kick myself for writing this before reading up on things… but my interest has been piqued so those are the breaks, right?

Tim says that it’s all about the experience. I don’t necessarily disagree, although I’m wrapping my head around that concept. I’ve never really thought about clicking tabs on a screen as an experience. Its always been more of a means to an end for me? I want to type a message so I click this tab and what-have-you and I get where I want to go.

But why can’t it be an experience?

Three Question Areas for User Experience in Web Design

I guess that there are three areas where I have questions on user experience, outlined below:

Familiarity We all want to provide value so that large audiences look at us, care and ultimately spend money. But the fact is that people get freaked out by newness. Large audiences like familiar because its easier. They know where to look and what to do when things are familiar. So I’m thinking that any kind of newness needs to be both intuitive and easy, first, in order to find acceptance. Where is that balance?

Access I can get on the internets at my desk, in coffee shops, and standing in line on my mobile device. What is my experience like in each of those scenarios? I would argue that my experience should be based on my needs for any particular situation. My needs at my desk may be different than my needs in line somewhere. How is that accounted for and what does that transition look like across platforms?

Analytics If I’m providing an experience, I need to be able to measure how that experience is received. Otherwise I will never be able to understand what parts of the experience need to be tweaked on the fly to approach maximum enjoyability. How is experience engagement measured on-line?

Ready for an Education

Tim and I will definitely continue this conversation and I am looking forward to fully understanding his viewpoint. In the meantime, let me know where you stand on the Good Websites Form vs. Function debate in the comments below.