As web developers, we get it. Your website is the window to the world and you want it to look good. BUT, visual design is not why people visit your website. It’s information. Usability and functionality are more important than visual appeal. Here’s 5 reasons why:
- Do you go to a website looking for information or to see a pretty website? (Come on, when was the last time you actually went to a website just to see the visual design?)
- No matter how good a website looks, if it doesn’t load quickly, you’ll leave … correct? It’s why Google rewards quick-loading sites with higher rankings.
- If you can’t find something quickly on a website do you get frustrated and leave? Of course!
- No matter how good a building looks, if it doesn’t have a solid foundation and structure it will collapse. Same with websites. Properly built websites (to web and accessibility standards) work and don’t break when viewed on different browsers and devices.
- Well built websites allow you to create new and interesting formats for visual designs like responsive websites.
So is visual design important? Absolutely, it’s vital. But, is visual design more important than how the website is built? No.
Focus on what matters to your visitor. And that’s a well built, easy to navigate, fast-loading website that provides them with the information they are looking.