When it comes to web development, there is a fine line
between worrying too much about details and not worrying about them
enough.
For many people, it's easy to obsess over minor issues. They
get caught up in making their site "perfect," even though the details
under consideration don't make much difference to the success of the
site.
For instance, it's easy to spend a lot of time analyzing
whether the logo looks perfect, the font is just the right size, or the
color of a particular button is bright enough.
Although it is important to think through all of those things,
there is a point when those details become unimportant. Often,
obsessing over them won't significantly impact a visitor's experience
on the site. The time spent analyzing these issues simply costs money
and delays the site from being launched.
On the other hand, many people don't pay attention to details
that ARE critical. In the past few months, I've worked with several
clients who fit in this category. They were content to brush past some
seemingly minor issues that were actually very significant.
For example, I had one client who was unconcerned that his
navigation was difficult to understand. He liked the look of his site
and didn't want to change it. He thought visitors could figure out his
navigation, so he chose not to worry about it. In this case, the
visitors were hurt by the lack of attention to detail. It may have
seemed like a minor issue, but it had a significant impact on the
usability of the site.
There are many other situations where the details are equally
important. In fact, sometimes changing a single sentence or other
seemingly miniscule point can drastically affect how many of your
visitors convert to buyers.
So how much is good enough? In other words, how do you know when you're just obsessing and when the details truly are important?
There's a simple rule of thumb to go by: Evaluate your
motivation. Are you concerned about a particular detail because you
think it affects your visitors or because you just don't like it? And
vice versa: Are you ignoring a detail because you really don't think it
matters to visitors or because you simply don't want to deal with it?
Whenever you find yourself confronted with an issue, decide
whether it's going to affect your visitor or not. If you can think of a
concrete reason why the issue will impact visitors' ability to use your
site, it's important. If you can't think of a real reason, it's
probably best to drop it. Don't waste your time.
For example, suppose you have buttery yellow buttons on your
site, and you're analyzing whether or not they should be fire engine
red. If it's not going to make a practical difference, move on to the
next issue.
On the other hand, if you realize that your buttons need to be
highly visible and you don't want to risk that they might be
overlooked, change the color. In this case, red would be better because
it will stand out more. Therefore, you've identified something that
will impact your visitors: They need to be able to see the buttons, and
changing the color will help them do it.
As a related issue, think about why you want to ignore some
issues. Check yourself to make sure you're not being lazy on an issue
that needs to be addressed. Also, never put your preferences in front
of the needs of your visitor. Don't make choices based on what you
think looks nice. Always make choices based on how a visitor will need
to use your site.
Keep your ears tuned for feedback on your site. If you ever
hear someone say, "This is hard to use," pay attention. Those are the
kind of details you need to deal with.
DON'T obsess over things that don't make a difference. DO zero
in on anything that will impact a visitor's experience at your
site.
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