I recently came across an article with a list of ten points. Eight of them were great. OK, nine were, but there were extenuating circumstances.
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And this isn’t a piece about math. But it might be about the beautiful woman gazing out at you.
Or about beautiful women and bad advice.
The article I’m talking about is titled 10 Outdated Web Design Techniques to Avoid. Being in the marketing business and as a guy who’s been both a geek and a creative for a long time, it caught my attention. (PRO TIP: lists work—they’re one of those things that get everyone’s attention)
Nine of the techniques in the articles ARE “outdated”, and should be viewed as things to stay away from. I didn’t qualify that. They shouldn’t be MOSTLY avoided; they should be avoided at all costs. Nine. Out of Ten. Click that link; the author knows his stuff.
But Mr. Zelezny included one item that, even if unpopular, isn’t outdated, and in fact is enjoying a major resurgence.
And then he violated one of his own rules.
I’m glad for the rules violation, because I find that blue-eyed brunette simply stunning. Is she the reason I read the article? No, but I’m pretty sure she helped pump its traffic and I’m hoping she does the same now that I’ve reused her image here. Nevertheless either Lukasz Zelezny violated his own Rule #5 not to use stock images, or he has an almost supernaturally beautiful wife/girlfriend/daughter and is really, really good with a camera.
I’m going with “the dude violated his own rule”. And thinking hard about beautiful women and bad advice.
That’s OK. Rules, as we all learned when we were young, are made to be broken. At least some are, sometimes. And yes, I’m a big believer in business process, but it’s OK to apply your expertise to things you know about, even if doing so can seem counter-intuitive.
And hey, did I mention I think that girl is pretty?
Beautiful Women and Bad Advice
Rules violation aside, one of the points Lukasz made was simply wrong, and there’s a point about counter-intuitiveness there, too. Rule #4 don’t use popups may be the kind of thing that many most of your web site visitors would prefer, but pop-ups, which seem to be <ahem> popping up everywhere, are the digital equivalent of something “everyone” hated in the days of printed magazines.
If you’re old enough, or still buy or subscribe to any, you know what I’m talking about. Like pop-ups, those “blow-in cards” that are always falling out of magazines are an annoying distraction. Coincidentally, they serve the same purpose as most web site pop ups; SIGN UP! SIGN UP NOW!!!!
Everyone hates them. Magazine publishers will tell you that the number one complaint they get from readers is that they hate blow-in cards. And they’ll also tell you, unapologetically, that no matter how many readers complain about them, blow-in cards aren’t going away.
It’s the number one complaint from your customer base, and you have neither the inclination to change it nor issues saying so, right out loud? That IS counter-intuitive!
And it’s your job as a businessperson to decide when those counter-intuitive business processes need to be employed. Want help? I’m right here.
Simple, right? Nah. But that girl sure is pretty.
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