An absurd analogy? Perhaps. But it perfectly illustrates the point that it all comes down to an understanding of the medium. When it comes to web design, the medium comprises of the mark-up, styling and coding that comes together to display the web site in a browser, along with having a grasp of the limitations of cross-browser compatibility together with usability and accessibility considerations.

A digital creative must consider all of those elements throughout the design process and is able to deliver a realistic, workable design at sign-off that communicates the brand effectively by employing best use of the technology, whilst having a clear grasp of its limitations.

A common scenario might involve the traditional agency handling the design of the website as part of the overall mix, which seems like a sensible option at first. But, all too often, applying skills acquired from one channel to another results in a lack of effective communication of brand values. Poorly considered user interface design and architecture can hamper the visitor’s experience through the site and they may leave, never to return.

Consider a site that is to tie-in with an off-line marketing campaign. One option might be to apply the existing creative, but adjusted to the new format, effectively translating the advertorial to a website design.

Without consideration for the limitations imposed by the web, it’s easy for the designer to layout the page based predominantly on aesthetics. Whilst this may appear to work, overlooking the practicality of their design come the build stage can upset the carefully considered balance.

For example, approaching the design from a purely aesthetic viewpoint does not address the necessity of consistent layout from page to page, it doesn’t consider how a change to the length of the content might impact it, and it cannot maintain the flexibility required in order to allow the client to content manage the site.

A realisation a designer crossing from print to web soon encounters is the amount of variation there can be from browser to browser and also across platforms. Whereas print allows for complete control both of the width and height of the design, web design has to be far more flexible. Although the width of a page can still be fixed and more-or-less controlled, the vertical flow will always be relative – as will the precise flow of words in a line.

In an attempt to force a site into conformity, a print designer will approach a web page as if it were a printed page with excessive use of graphic text and fixed font sizes often being applied in an attempt to match the visual. This ‘print thinking’ results in the underlying code of the web page becoming bloated with mark-up script and styling. The trade-off for pixel perfection is often a graphic heavy, code-laden page invariably sacrificing usability, accessibility and increasing the load time, all in the name of visual accuracy.

Because good web design is intrinsically linked to the technology that powers it, the design will not actually be complete until it’s coded and tested across a wide base of browsers. In web design, there can be a disconnection between the designer and the final product, if that designer does not have an understanding of the process of transforming the creative into a usable website. A good digital design professional must have the expertise and experience to anticipate the outcome and be on-hand to advise the developers accordingly.

It’s been instigated by Rupert Murdoch’s News International in an attempt to stop the free distribution of its intellectual property. Reports suggest that the papers made a loss of £87m last year which its executives argue – quite reasonably – that they cannot sustain. And although the sites carry online advertising, they argue that this alone does not generate enough revenue to sustain the free business model.

So, as of the end of June, the papers will be placed behind a ‘paywall’ which requires visitors to pay to go beyond. Fees are reasonable and designed to encourage subscription rather than more casual reading. To access the site one must pay a £1 per day or £2 per week subscription.

Search engines will be barred too, and instead of offering ‘preview’ content like several pay sites do, the Times and Sunday Times will be completely invisible to Google et al. Also, any links to articles within the web sites will lead the visitor to the payment page, rather than the article itself.

It’s an experiment that other media owners will be watching with great interest, as its success could result in an attitude shift away from free content and towards a pay model. But given that the concept flies in the face of the spirit of sharing, tweeting and other aspects of the ‘social media’ ethos it will be very interesting to see if visitors – used to free news – will be willing to pay for it.

The disadvantages of not allowing pages to scroll are obvious: overcrowded pages with everything crammed into a small place; constantly having to cut content; compromised design just to make it all fit; the mantra of “everything above the fold”; multiple pages with click-throughs that don’t print well, where one longer page would have been just fine; pages designed to fit a small screen looking adrift in a sea of empty space on a larger one. So why is there this view that a web page should fit on one screen -and is it justified?

One origin is that it was actually true at one point. Back in the early days of the web, AOL had its own “mini-internet” service which did have a non-scroll design. When it started providing Internet access its customers took that preconception with them. Since AOL was, at the time, the most popular online service provider, this meant that a large percentage of consumer Internet users didn’t know to scroll. Additionally, many computer applications are designed so that scrolling is either limited or not necessary. Therefore there existed an expectation that any navigation or interactivity should not require a scroll. Jakob Nielsen, a usability guru, highlighted this fact in 1994 and recommended that, at the very least, all links should be visible without scrolling, and preferably all content. However as early as 1997, he retracted this advice: “In more recent studies, we have seen that most users scroll when they visit a long home page or a long navigation screen. This change in behaviour is probably due to users getting more experience with scrolling Web pages.”

Another source is one of lack of adaptation to the web as a medium in its own right. With traditional print design, everything is on a single page with a fixed size. So there is a tendency to see this as being the correct approach, with a collection of different sized pages being viewed as inconsistent. This is understandable in print, as all pages in a document are the same size and will also be seen next to each other and so consistency can been seen as desirable. On the web however, we do not have these constraints, and so to make full use of the media should not introduce any artificially. Often the approach taken to reduce pages down to one screen-full is to split what is naturally one page into many and introduce some form of paging mechanism. Apart from causing issues with printing the entire article, it also encourages visitors to leave. Nielsen again, this time in 2010: “Scrolling beats paging because it’s easier for users to simply keep going down the page than it is to decide whether or not to click through for the next page of a fragmented article.”

And finally, there is always a fear factor. If visitors don’t scroll, or not all of them scroll, they may miss some important link or piece of communication, and so everything must go above the fold just to be sure. It is always difficult to prioritise and distil down what is really important to a visitor and so the tendency is to treat it all as vital. Unfortunately, this tends to result in visual overload with not enough space being given to each element to do it justice. Consider why a visitor wouldn’t scroll. Either they have found something of interest already and are continuing through the site, or have decided this page isn’t for them. The former case is a win anyway, and the latter is unlikely to have been remedied by squeezing just one more logo in – better content would be much more successful.

So do we have any hard facts on the state of play right now? Well yes, we do. ClickTale analysed scrolling behaviour for over 80,000 page views on live sites with real visitors. They found that 76% of pages were scrolled to some extent and that 22% were scrolled to the bottom of the page. Interestingly, these figures didn’t vary very much at all with the page length. A page ten screens tall was just as likely to be completely viewed as one that was two screens tall. They also measured the amount of time spent on average throughout the page. This showed that, on average, visitors would spend 27 seconds looking at the top of the page (before scrolling), and that this decreased the further down the page the visitor looked. But with an interesting twist, the time spent at the very bottom of the page jumped back up with an average of 15 seconds. So in terms of gaining attention, the top of the page is still the most important, but the bottom is a very overlooked place to keep a visitors interest using, for example, a mega footer.

cxpartners did similar research, this time in a lab using eye-tracking. Again they discovered that scrolling did happen, but also pulled out two useful observations. The first was that a looser layout with more space given to less content above the fold, actually encouraged scrolling more than a page that tried to cram as much as possible above the fold. The end result was that more content was looked at, even though scrolling was required. The other finding was that certain visual cues will stop the visitor from scrolling, because they imply that the bottom of the page has already been reached. One example of this was a bar that stretched across the page that was actually a stylised heading for the next section of content. The visual weight of the bar overrode the text within it and visitors saw it as the footer.

So what conclusions can we draw from all this? Due to varying screen sizes and browsers, we can’t be sure where the “fold” is, so we should not obsess about everything being above it. Visitors do scroll pages when they need to and it is clear that there is more content to be scrolled to. In order to indicate that there is more to be found, the design of the page should not have any artificial “breaks” of white space that go across the width of the page, or horizontal bars. Overlapping columns will provide the visual cues necessary. Additionally, a border around the page can help. To ensure maximum usability, main navigation should be present above the fold, along with clear indication of the page’s content and any other truly important features. An open, scrolling layout is more effective than a cramped one so make good use of white space. Pages should be as long as they need to be as this doesn’t significantly affect the percentage of visitors reading the whole page. And as a parting suggestion, if a visitor has read to the bottom of the page, give them something of value and a new destination to move on to.

According to the report, 33% of Internet users choose passwords that are made up of six or fewer characters. 60% choose passwords that have only a limited set of alpha-numeric characters. Experts recommend that passwords are at least 10 characters long and use a combination of words and numbers in order to make them stronger.

Nearly half of users pick names, slang words, dictionary words or weak passwords such as ’123456′. Compounding this lack of creativity when choosing a password is the fact that over half of the people surveyed also admitted to using the same username and password for multiple web sites meaning that if their password is discovered, all of their information becomes vulnerable.

One of the biggest issues is that simple passwords are susceptible to automated attacks. Hackers use automated programs that can try to access hundreds of accounts in minutes and can check for common passwords, dictionary words and so on.

So next time you choose a password, think about the consequences of it being discovered. Here’s some good advice to ensure that your passwords are up to the task:

• Avoid a password that could be guessed, such as your maiden name or birth date
• Never use a single word that can be found in the dictionary
• Don’t allow your computer to remember your passwords – if it’s stolen, the thieves will be able to access all of your accounts
• Use the shift key to place more obscure symbols into your password
• Mix different types of characters to make your password more secure
• Try to use a password of at least 10 characters or more
• Use a different username and password for each account
• Change your passwords regularly

Which is great, as long as you don’t mistake a sale or request for information as a market research activity, but rather look at it from the customer’s point of view. Having to fill in unnecessary information is a real barrier for many customers, which can provoke a variety of responses ranging from mild annoyance to extreme prejudice, resulting in, at best a lost sale or worse, the loss of the whole customer relationship.

So what’s the best approach that enables you to collect information but not at the expense of your hard earned customers and reputation?

Usability studies have shown that visitors are less likely to avoid filling in a form if a technique called ‘staged obligation’ is adopted. This technique effectively splits the questions asked over a series of stages. On screen one you may ask for a name and e-mail address. Once this has been submitted, a second screen asks a few more questions. And after this is submitted, a final screen asks a final few questions.

Although this sounds frustrating, experience shows that more visitors stick with the process than if they were asked all the questions at once, on a single form. However care must be taken and the visitor must be assured that the final screen really is the final screen.

You can also combine this technique with offering added value to the visitor who provides more information. Many e-commerce sites offer anonymous purchase, where you don’t have to register to buy. However, these sites often ask for a password to make it ‘quicker and easier if you wish to purchase from us in the future’ – by adding just one more question, you have a registered user. This doesn’t always work of course, particularly if your product or service tends to be a one-time or infrequent purchase. However, you can offer value in another way, such as being able to track an order. Technically, you don’t need to register a visitor in order to offer order tracking, but this perceived extra value makes them more likely to sign-up.

This all goes to show that form design is an extremely important part of the web design process, which is unfortunately often relegated to an afterthought. However, when the reward for approaching a form with innovation and creativity is an increase in customer conversion, form design should be treated as the art form it really is.

Well, boring presenters beware, because now you can be ‘Tweckled’ – heckled via Twitter. What used to be a one-way presentation can now become a real time conversation. In theory, this should be a good thing – tying delegates together into a community, sharing extra information, broadcasting relevant links and notes. But it also allows a speaker to receive a ‘virtual lynching’.

At a recent academic conference, a particularly boring speaker prompted a Twitter user to tweet “We need a t-shirt, ‘I survived the keynote disaster of 09′”. This was followed up by the similarly cutting “Too bad they took my utensils away. I could have jammed the butter knife into my temple”. This led to a further 500 tweets within an hour and then it went viral, meaning strangers not even present at the event became privy to the ensuing humiliation.

But speakers take note. There is a way to fight back – and in a positive way. One conference centre has published a set of social-media ‘courtesy’ guidelines. Another monitors the ‘back-channel’ and publicly calls out Twecklers.

But by far the best solution is to broadcast the feedback on this back-channel on a screen in real time. This has two advantages – the speaker can use it to interact with their audience, making for a more engaging presentation, and it discourages potential Twecklers as it takes away their anonymity.

So next time you’re at a conference, just remember your Twitiquette…

The Kaloba campaign comprised of a TV commercial supported with a dedicated landing page on their e-commerce web site, an extensive Google Adwords advertising campaign, and social media activity utilising YouTube and Twitter.

We developed the dedicated landing page which was designed to ‘squeeze’ visitors through a sales funnel in order to maximise purchase of Kaloba. The page also offered visitors the ability to view the TV commercial online. We recommended that the commercial was hosted on YouTube on a dedicated Kaloba channel which we established in order to achieve a greater reach and to benefit our search engine optimisation activities.

We also managed the Google Adwords campaign. This included developing correctly targeted key words and phrases to reach cold and flu sufferers, copywriting the advertisements and managing and optimising the keywords and adverts for the duration of the campaign.

Acknowledging the very limited budget, the judges praised both the campaign’s creative approach and its national impact.

www.kaloba.co.uk

Type your name into Google and see what appears. And once you’ve found yourself, try the image results. It could be right about now that you regret uploading those holiday snaps to Facebook, because that shot of you in your swimwear is potentially the first impression of you that your customers will have. And this can be a real headache for marketing and communications professionals charged with managing the corporate image.

Unfortunately, these days, our ideas of privacy have changed. With the rise of social media, anyone that uses the Internet will probably find that there’s lots of information about them available out there that they may not wish was there.

And it’s persistent too. A decade ago an expose of a celebrity in a newspaper today quickly became tomorrow’s chip paper. Now, a quick search will dredge that story and/or image up in the click of a mouse – just as Ashley Cole and John Terry can attest.

The solution? Consider cultivating and nurturing an ‘online you’. Create an online identity and keep your offline identity truly private. Think of your online self as an avatar: an ideal version of you specially edited to convey the ‘right’ image. If you are a company director make sure that your Facebook profile picture is sensible. If you blog regularly under your own name, make sure the posts are all on-message. And with each and every post bear in mind that there is no such thing as an online private life!

A typical print design project involves a linear experience. An advertisement or a brochure has a beginning, middle and an end. Once a print project is finished, it’s fixed and will never evolve or change. And print is delivered on a specific medium – a quarter page black and white advert, or an A4 brochure on gloss art paper. Just like the content, the medium is fixed.Now consider a web site. It provides a three dimensional experience. There are sections within sections, pages within pages. You can visit any of those pages in whatever order you choose and you can jump between them and within them at will. A web site is forever changing. The content updates and adapts. Words, phrases, paragraphs, entire sections are fluid. And the medium isn’t fixed either. A web site design must work in a variety of browsers, on a variety of platforms. Oh, and it also needs to work on mobile devices. And when web pages are printed, on real paper, they must work in that medium too.

Web sites are complex design products that seek to solve a multitude of problems to enable a visitor to achieve their goals. Web design is a complex discipline, requiring an array of specialist skills. That’s why ‘web design’ is a misnomer – it sells itself way too short. For a web site to be truly effective you really should entrust it to a web site design specialist. Not the guys who designed your business cards.