The Way we see it

The simple answer to this question is that a website is a place where the online world can come see whatever you would like to tell them about yourself. End of story. Case closed. Well, maybe not yet. There is a huge question we must explore from here on out: "How does a great website come into existence?" Take a second and think about a few of your favorite web sites. What is it about them that you like so much? What makes you keep coming back for more? Does the style and atmosphere of the site make you feel at home? Does the site equip you with the tools to do a task without which you wouldn't be able to complete?

In most cases, the sites that you find yourself coming back to time and time again don't even feel like websites at all. They are experiences. We actually prefer the term "web experiences" to the culturally popular term "websites." The experience is what you really take home with you. An experience, as opposed to a website, evokes emotion and gives you something to take with you when you go. To create a web experience rather than a website, intertwining with each other must be these two things: Functionality and Creativity.

We will define functionality, for our time together, as what your site is and does. The easiest way to move on with this discussion is for you to ask yourself this question: "What do you want your website to do?" This question will produce answers all over the place. You may want your site to be informative like a brochure for visitors to get general information of who you are. You may want a site that is interactive, such as an online store. You may even want your site to be communicative, bringing people together and keeping them informed of what's happening within a given community. No one wants a site that does nothing.

The impact of what your site says and does is highly affected by how it says and does it. For example, you could have an online store with the best goods in the world (let's not forget the cheapest prices) but even the best will fail if navigation is difficult or if it is aesthetically unpleasant. It is difficult to enjoy using a site that is uncomfortable to look at and work with. The way a site looks and feels is what really creates an emotion and a connection with the visitor. Aesthetics has such an effect on our minds as humans and it's impossible to create an experience without adding them into the equation.

Functionality on its own is not enough to sustain life in a website, nor is creativity. On the same token, both of these facets can be overdone. One way you end up with a site that does a ton but is hardly usable and the other way will produce a striking, emotional site that says and does nothing. Neither of these aspects can thrive without the other. When both are working together, though, they will create a meaningful and enjoyable experience for the visitor.