Forgetting your goal

Forgetting your goal?
from WebHostPad.com

But sometimes it's not that easy, says Tabata. Companies often lose track of the site's main goal and begin focusing on all the latest gimmickry.

One client recently proposed building a Flash game to promote one of their projects and attaching that file to an e-mail message for random spamming. The resulting massive file would no doubt have angered anyone who wasn't connected using DSL or T-1, in much in the same way an application heavy Web site might infuriate someone with a slower connection speed. Tabata says he advises such extreme technology use.

"I usually explain the downsides of these technologies and give clients a gentle urging to give up most of their misguided aspirations," he says. "I assume they're hiring me not just for my ability to build them a site, but also for my knowledge of what is generally considered good Web design."

Ultimately, while the finer points of good Web design are highly subjective, the basics are not. Deciding what technology to use depends on basically the same criterion as old economy communication: having a clear idea of what you want to say and targeting the people most likely to be. Once you've done this, the rest can be done in a Flash - or not, if that's what's best.

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