Yep, it’s that time.
This may go over like a skunk at the garden party in some warrens, but it’s long past time for a conversation about “Web site policies” to govern things like editorial style, design and information architecture among other things. No, I am not a control freak. But I resolutely believe that clear and enforceable content and design standards are vital if the integrity of a newly redesigned union.edu is to be preserved.
I know from past experience. I’ve had more than my share fair of front row seats to the havoc wreaked when folks are empowered to express their inner muse’s every creative whim and whimsy. When it comes to the Web, everyone is a designer. A steady stream of “Can’t-we-move-this-button-to-here?, Please-make-this-header-font bold, Let’s-sprinkle-in-a-dash-of-Flash-here, and Tweak-the-background-color-this-shade-please” is a recipe for frustrated end-users and depricated brands.
Expect this to consume much of the discussion at the next Web Advisory Group (day and time forthcoming).
Below are links to policies some of our peer institutions have established. What do they know that we don’t?
Content Standards for Official Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Web Sites
Hamilton College Web Style Guide
It is challenge worthy of Sisyphus to even attempt to corral the chaos? Or is the Union College community ready to more diligently color between the lines?
Thanks!
Ken George
Office of Marketing and Communications
[...] management system should corral the chaos. And at the next Web Advisory Group I will be unveiling online content policies to signal that the days of anything goes are now officially [...]
This shouldn’t be a hard discussion man, or even a discussion at all. Everyone -thinks- they’re a designer. Doesn’t mean they are, doesn’t mean they should be treated like they are, and it certainly doesn’t mean you need to baby your disillusioned end-users.
At the end of the day, there are two groups of people involved in a website. There are the end-users – the people who access the site, the client who pays you for the site, etc. And then there are the developers. The end-users will always try to tell the developers how to do their job. It always happens, because this is the Internet.
Admittedly, I can appreciate that it must be slightly different for someone like you, who does this professionally, and can’t afford to piss off their end-users. In my circles, however, we live by a simple truth – the end-users will never all be happy, so there is simply no point trying to cater to them.
My point in all of this: don’t explain yourself to the end-users. You’ll waste way too much precious time trying to explain the intricacies of your field to them. Just develop your product, man, and let it speak for itself. Heck, -be- a control freak. Control freaks produce great, quality code.
– Wash aka Bryce Lelbach