In one of my previous Search Engine Land columns, SEO Smackdown: Information Architecture vs. Technical Architecture, I reviewed some of the differences between IA and technical architecture. When our context is search engine optimization, is the primary focus on the user or the commercial web search engine? Or vice versa?

Some SEO professionals are more technology (search engine) focused. Some SEO professionals are more searcher focused…and there are various shades in between the two extremes.

When I train or consult clients on how Web documents more search-engine friendly for users, I often run into another dilemma: user-centered design vs. usage-centered design. At this point in time, I feel that SEO professionals lean heavily on usage-centered design. Read More

Source:- http://searchengineland.com/user-centered-or-usage-centered-design-which-is-better-for-seo-102400

website design is an enormous responsibility to create the first impression of your organization in the minds of people. Visitors usually take only seconds to decide whether to stay or leave a website just for the looks of it. As it is impossible to have a second chance to create the very important “first impression”, you should design a creative web design, not only to capture the attention of visitors, but also to hold on to it.
There is a lot of planning to do before you actually design a website. Therefore, we recommend that you take the help of one of the professional web design companies to configure the layout of your website. Professional experts will help you focus on your business activities and at the same time will provide a website design that is easy to use, and the only other sites in your niche market. Read More

Source:- http://www.wlc2009-ilec.org/how-important-is-web-design-when-it-comes-to-first-impressions-of-a-website.html

Positive Web Design has been enjoying growing success since the division’s inception earlier in the year but has recently announced an increase in eCommerce-related enquiries of over 200%. The statistic, which was collated during October, shows a significant jump in the number of businesses asking for quotes for the creation and build of their online shopping platforms.

In this statement, Peter Andrease, Head Of Web Design at the firm, explains why more and more people are investing heavily in their eCommerce sites rather than sticking to traditional offline selling methods and marketing:

“We think that advertising and retailing online is becoming far more cost-effective than opening up shop on the high street. In our experience, there are minimal rent fees, fewer labour costs and better exposure to the right kinds of audiences.”  Read More


Source:- http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/11/prweb8946393.htm

Gmail's redesign may come with a bunch of spiffy new themes that look great in screenshots, but the actual usability of Gmail is in steep decline. For business users, Gmail is going downhill fast. It looks like Gmail is trying too hard to be a "social" application, and not hard enough to be an application for reading and responding to email quickly and effectively.

I've been using Gmail now almost since its release to the public. Its clean interface, keyboard shortcuts and relatively responsive Web interface have made Gmail my go-to mail client for years. While I've had some gripes with Gmail for years (not being able to sort by subject or sender in my inbox, for instance) the latest redesign has me considering going back to Thunderbird. Considering Thunderbird has improved very little in the last five years, that's a sad reflection on the state of Gmail. Read More


Source: http://www.readwriteweb.com/cloud/2011/11/5-problems-with-gmails-new-des.php

1. Mobile users are rushed and distracted. Wrong. Mobile isn’t just on the go. It’s on the couch, in the kitchen, and during a 3 hour layover. When we’re on mobile, we’re micro-tasking, we’re local and we’re probably bored.

2. Mobile=Less. Wrong. Mobile is not less. Mobile is not light. Designers make too many assumptions with screen size. Don’t limit functionality based on-screen size alone. “Saying mobile design should have less is like saying paperbacks have smaller pages, so we should remove chapters,” Clark says.

3. Complexity is a dirty word. Wrong. Complexity is awesome, it gives our lives texture. Designers shouldn’t confuse complexity with complication. They need to manage complexity, not kill it. He cites the new Facebook iOS app as a great example of a complex app done well.

4. Extra taps and clicks are evil. Wrong. It’s all about Tap Quality > Tap Quantity. Designers can create one big idea per screen instead of one big idea per app. He cites Twitter app’s well designed keyboard that simply slides in and out of view so that secondary tasks are just one tap away.

5. Gotta have a mobile website. Wrong. Designers should focus on all platforms. We need great mobile experiences but not necessarily a separate website. Designers shouldn’t think of creating different websites for different devices. They should be thinking, what can the device do to enhance the experience?

6. Mobile is about apps. Wrong. Designers should stop focusing on apps, it’s not sustainable. “We can’t design a new experience on every platform from scratch every time,” he warns. Then, citing Bruce Lee, he says, content is like water; it takes many forms and flows into all these different containers.

7. Content and API are for database nerds. Wrong. Designers all have to care about this too and get involved.

Source:- http://thenextweb.com/dd/2011/11/07/josh-clark-debunks-the-7-myths-of-mobile-web-design/