There is always going to be someone who doesn’t like your website design.
Web developers know this. They work with lots of different site designs over time, and they’ve heard it. It might be couched in fairly diplomatic terms, but the sentiment is the same:
I don’t like that design.
The point of this post isn’t to go into the reasons why this happens – there can be as many reasons for disliking a site design as there are for liking one. The point is:
Have reasoning for your design.
And this point isn’t made to web developers, who should already know this. It’s for the client of the web developer. They should expect a reasoning for the design, and not just a “wow” factor. They should understand the reasoning for the design. And most importantly, they should agree with the reasoning for the design.
Because somebody is not going to like it. It could be the colors, it could be the font, it could be the imagery, it could be too long or too busy or too static or difficult to navigation or a bunch of other reasons why somebody’s “eye” doesn’t appreciate the appearance of the site.
I’m not talking about the case where almost everyone tells you this, or where it seems like a large minority tell you this. I’m talking about the case where one voice says this.
One important voice.
It could be your boss, it could be a member of the board of directors, it could be your most important customer. But it’s not a voice that can be ignored, and it’s not a voice that’s likely to appreciate an excuse. They deserve the reasoning for the design of the site.
And if you have a site, you should be able to give that reasoning, even if it requires some reminding by your web developer. Remember – your online success will be determined by quantifying what that means. Design should enable you to measure and quantify and decide.
So make sure you understand why your site is designed the way it is designed.