What can we learn about design from the 10 most popular websites on the internet? Design is over-rated. There, I've said it. No doubt the design Gestapo will be here any minute to take me away.According to Netcraft, in October 2008, there were 182,226,259 websites on the internet. With that much competition, what does it take to be the most popular website on the internet today?
There seems to be a general feeling that in order to have a successful website, your website's design must be stunningly beautiful. As though visitors will make their buying decisions based on the use of texture, or how long they sit on your frontpage in stunned awe of the beauty on their monitor.
Honestly ask yourself, have you EVER made a purchasing decision based on the design of the website?
How much design does Google use (Alexa 1)? Occasionally they'll do a creative piece with their logo, but that's it!
That bargain $1,500 flash design you got from the starving college student is not such a bargain if it's actually costing you $60,000 in sales a year. If that same designer had tried to sell you that design for $60,000, there's no way you would have bought it. But that's exactly what you're doing if you choose a design that gets in the way of usability.
Now, I'm not saying that successful sites have to be ugly, because design is one of the most enjoyable things about building a site on the internet. But I want to make sure that we have perspective. What Alexa Top 10 teaches us is that design does not make your website successful ... unless you're a design company.
Cheers,
Chris
