Web Development Philosophy

The biggest mistake most companies make is to view the web as another marketing medium like television, radio, or print. Such a narrow view is wasteful and ignores the true potential of online communications. A sensible strategy is intuitive if you understand how the web differs from other media:

Easy come. Easy Go.

Gimmicks to get people on your website are a dime a dozen, but nothing will keep them coming back like useful information or services. Treating a website like an advertisement is usually a waste of money because you don't have a captive audience. People will click off your site if they don't find something of genuine interest within seconds. When you try to shoehorn old advertising and design ideas into the web you are selling out its best qualities in pursuit of its worst.

Cheap Distribution.

When it comes to distributing text and images (and to a lesser extent audio and video) on demand, nothing beats the web. The key is to provide information that people actually want. The beauty of the web is that there's always room to grow. Developing an incremental plan will help amortize the cost and ensure that you are moving in the right direction with each step. Don't bite off more than you can chew initially; focus on the content that you know will benefit you and the customer right away.

Accessibility & Convenience.

The web can be accessed from home or work, via cellphones, PDAs, or special devices for the disabled. Universal accessibility is still far from perfect, but the web offers an evolving set of standards that bring us closer than ever before. The visual aspects of web design are the most obvious, yet are a deceptively small fraction of a successful website. We care just as much about accessibility and usability as we do a website's visual aesthetic.