As I said during the interview, it’s important to make your users feel smart.  You accomplish this by ensuring that users know exactly what you would like them to do.  Take Google for example.  There’s a text input and a search button right in the center of the screen. Google is a good example  for accomplishing one purpose, but most sites are much more complex.

During the show Kipp talked about producing content and it’s importance to a successful Web site.  As I said during the interview, having great content is the hardest part of creating a compelling Web experience.  Unfortunately at first glance it’s the most overlooked portion of a site.  Good design and entices your audience and directs them to your content. Let’s take my friend Josh Lockhart for example at joshlockhart.com.  I’m going to step you through what a user might think as they visit his site.  “Okay, what is this site about.  Oh, here it is right in the image: RapidWeaver themes.”  Cool.  I’m interested.  So, how do I buy one?  Look there’s a “Add to Cart” button beside each one.  Great.”  So, Josh is trying to communicate what he does and how you can purchase his products.  Both of those goals are accomplished through design.  Once you get past those initial questions, you can then explore his great collection of content (or in this case, products).

While Josh shows the breadth of his content on the home page, it’s no overwhelming.  Be careful that you don’t put too much content on the page.  Every element on your page is communicating in some way.  If you don’t carefully consider what elements you include, you’ll be communicating too many things at once.  Think about several people talking to you at once.  If they expect you to hear it all and you can’t, you’ll won’t feel smart.  The same is true on the Web.

Friends, I’ve only touched on a few of the basics here.  Here’s one article that I wrote after Robert Hoekman Jr.’s talk with his 7 rules for great Web application design.  I’ll also post some of my favorite resources later today.

In preparation for our SXSW Core Conversations, my team over at Capstrat has been blogging at lovediesubmit.com. We’re discussing issues surrounding online marriages and the digital afterlife. It’s been a good conversation so far, but we’d like you to join in. Check us out at Love. Die. Submit. and don’t forget about the Triangle SXSW Meetup next week at Capstrat.

While at the conference I’ll be blogging here as well as Field Notes and Love. Die. Submit.  Of course, you can always follow me on Twitter @tarheelevan.

Check out our series of posts about the digital afterlife over at Field Notes.