Future of Web Design Recap – Ryan Sims/Keith Robinson

Ryan Sims (Virb) and Keith Robinson Blue Flavor)

Ryan and Keith discussed how they took IMDb and thought about a redesign for it. The result, a new IMDb design can be found at justwatchthesky.com

Keith Robinson.

This is about process. You need to start with content and context and the process is about solving problems and documenting the solutions. But the process is a means to an end – don’t kill yourself when it does not work. We looked at IMDb as a project to redesign – with some caveats. We did not have a whole load of time, it was not a real project, we had limited resources, no clients or stakeholders. We made a lot of assumptions

Keith does theinformation design, thinking about orgnaising the info, He does the research, think about what data is available, thinking about the problems that need to be solved – solutioneering. You have to identify problems before pffereing solutons

So IMDb is very top heavy, lots of info. Site itself is very top heavy. with a lot of information on the page. It’s not the best use of space and the negative space does not really work. It’s not supporting user behaviour and not the best use of ad space

Start with the goals- what are we trying to do. Define them..group them..prioritise and balance. Need to get business, user and tech goals aligned. You can then pair your goals with the content

He tends to start with analogue, the power of the pen. Don’t let digital drag you down. He sketches, doodles as he thinks about things.

The he moves to document solutions – page descriptions and wireframes. HE prefers to use a narrative description of the wireframe, with no layouts, describing elements (attached to the goals) so that the layouts do not cramp the creativity. Wireframes can be a tricky delivery especially with clients. The deliverables should document and inform. They should not be used to build consensus., the believes that consensus is for losers. You get a watered down design with compromises.

Ryan Sims

He calls it Cinematic Web Design. Like the movies, thousands of pieces that go into the shots; he treats websites in the same way, bringing together lots of small pieces. You need to find the right balance – entertainment, education, editorial. With IMDb it was all about the editorial. The best designs are the ones that are done quickly and efficiently, but remember it can take years of practice to be able to do that. He has three quick tips – trust you instincts. design at the highest possible standards and use real copy.

Rachel Clarke thinks a lot about digital strategy and blogs at behindthebuzz.com and bibrik.com.