Web Site Designs that Call People Back

by Sarah Clark
sarah.clark@webdesignschoolreview.com
Web Design School Review Columnist

What is it that causes people to return to a web site two, three, or more times a day? Content that is continually updated throughout the day draws in readers, many online media experts say. And professional web site designers help make these sites intuitive and visually appealing.

One of the most successful content-driven web sites is the New York Times, a leading newspaper that draws in untold numbers of readers throughout the day by updating its homepage every several minutes. But most successful content-driven web sites are not newspapers. Many are blogs and social-networking sites.

Blogs are also content driven, but they tend to focus on a very narrow topic, like celebrity gossip, industry news, real estate, cooking, or wine. The most successful blogs are those that update their sites regularly with content that sparks the interest of a particular group. For example, celebrity blogger Perez Hilton posts pictures with cutting remarks about celebrities who happened to catch the paparazzi’s eye that day. Other bloggers, like the author of Chocolate and Zucchini, write about culinary adventures in a playful, engaging way. Some take their offline notoriety online with blogs hosted by journalists Katie Couric, Brian Williams, and Bill O’Reilly.

Web Design and its Role in Shaping the Internet

But what will be the future of sites like these? And what will the next generation of web sites look like? Professional web site designers can be a part of that debate by taking chances to develop new tools that will help us better share information. Be the next professional web site designer to design the next Wikipedia-type project, or the next Myspace.com, or a blog template that’s easier for computer novices to customize.

Web designers have an important role to play in shaping our online experience—the technology is still very much in its infancy. There are new sites to create, new forums for bringing people together, and many new IPOs still to launch.

Start thinking about how you could improve upon the format of MySpace, or another social-networking site. Apparently in Germany the site isn’t catching on as planned due to the low regard Germans have for the design. How would you bring your professional web site design skills to bear on such a project? Link up with some friends, hold a brainstorm session, and start planning a project that will become the next web design sensation.

About the Author

Sarah Clark is a freelance writer who specializes in postsecondary education and career development.

Posted at 11:21 AM on February 28, 2007

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