Patrick Keefe http://patrickkeefe.posterous.com Capitalist at large! posterous.com Thu, 05 Aug 2010 13:42:00 -0700 Your website sucks. http://patrickkeefe.posterous.com/your-website-sucks http://patrickkeefe.posterous.com/your-website-sucks

Yeah, the title of this post has all the subtlety of a brick to the dome. But that's how tons of online applications approach their products! Sure, it works, but you're missing out on tons of potential because it's ugly.

We're dealing with a very sophisticated Internet consumer these days. And with the proliferation of Internet-based applications and services, there are tons of examples of terrible design. I'm not going to preach about UX design or any of that boring stuff. I'm just trying to make a general, sweeping and overly-simplified point.

If you're serious about being an online entrepreneur, you simply have to acknowledge that a beautiful user experience is as important as a flawless and useful application. If you don't, you're toiling for fewer rewards than you could otherwise reap. In fact, I'd argue that you could probably have some legitimate success by stealing the application ideas of a few ugly services, putting some makeup on them, and selling them as your own. Hell, if you're strapped for ideas or looking for experience, I'd fully advocate doing that.

My point is this: The modern Internet user not only expects but demands a beautiful user experience in conjunction with the usefulness of the product.

The Air Force apparently has a saying when it comes to the R&D of new planes...

"Look pretty. Fly pretty." 

The notion is that if it doesn't look slick, how can we expect it to function well? That might not be entirely valid as a system of analysis but that's how consumers think!

You're not going to convince the market to change its expectations. You simply have to change what you value in the production of your application to better meet the expectations of the modern Internet consumer.

Disagree or have something to add? I'd love to hear about it. patrick@patrickkeefe.com

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Tue, 03 Aug 2010 15:04:00 -0700 Graphic Design... it's not me. It's you. http://patrickkeefe.posterous.com/graphic-design-its-not-me-its-you http://patrickkeefe.posterous.com/graphic-design-its-not-me-its-you

I've decided that I'm finished being a graphic designer. I can't take it anymore. Graphic design as a service can't support my real aspirations. And so, as with any failing relationship, I'm finished throwing good money after bad; I'm pulling out. Goodbye, graphic design...

...or, wait, maybe not. Am I waffling here?

Graphic design is a bit of a sucker's game—unless you love working tons of mostly thankless hours for clients that don't truly value your expertise and can't understand the value you add to their undertakings. You'll never be on the same level as the lawyer or accountant. In fact, you're not even on the same level as the car mechanic. At least people mostly understand what those guys do, even if it entails ripping them off with an increased frequency.

I'm not interested in that game anymore. The pay sucks and the hours suck. I'd rather be a teacher and make the same meager paycheck.

Hmm... but maybe there's a way for me to utilize my designer brain in my new life.

There is. I've teamed up with another entrepreneurial spirit and we've been dipping our toes into the globalized economy. We've been developing a fancy new SAAS (software as a service) business model and application with the help of an IT firm in... India. And it's awesome!

My job has been developing the UI for the application as well as doing tons of thinking and documenting about the user process. Additionally, I've been managing a team of developers thousands of miles away. While I sleep, they code. While they sleep, I design, document and think.

And while I've never worked so many hours in my life, or been nearly this tired for so long, the process has been more rewarding, by a factor of beleven, than doing any client work ever has. I've been getting up every morning eager as hell to start thinking and designing. Ideas are coming faster than ever before.

Maybe I'm on to something here. I think I am. So I'm quitting my design day job by 2011 and finally dumping all of my creativity and intellect into entrepreneurship. In fact, my partner and I are about to start our second application any week now. And that idea already has several bastard children spinoffs running around our heads.

Ultimately, I want more out of my creative problem solving and communications skills than just building the same website a hundred times. I'm not knocking you if that's what you're all about. I've just come to realize that it's not for me.

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