Guide for Theme Designers: Simplicity

“What’s really important is to simplify. The work of most photographers would be improved immensely if they could do one thing: get rid of the extraneous. If you strive for simplicity, you are more likely to reach the viewer.” William Albert Allard

I’m a designer at heart.

I love layouts that are constructed with originality, and effectively achieve their goals. Designs which are given thought, planning, and then well executed.

Nevertheless, there’s a truth which even web page eye-candy lovers like me have to face up to.

A profound truth.

0% of visitors (rounded to the nearest whole number) are there because of the design!

1. It’s All About the Content

Think about where your visitors come from. Nearly everyone comes from search engines, and from other websites linking to your articles or blog. Neither of which link because of your design, but because of your content!

Feedreaders are becoming ever more popular. Why? Because it’s the content that matters.

So, shouldn’t this effect our web design? Isn’t this critical information that should force theme designers to rethink how they design their themes for their customers?

You would think so, but it’s rarely the case.

The fact is, designers should be respecting the goals of users, rather than trying to develop fancy graphics to boost their own egos and give the perception of value for money.

2. The Lie the Buyers Swallow

The thing is, while theme buyers know what they’re after, most of them don’t know what they’re after actually looks like.

Let me explain.

They’re after an effective design that will be a pleasant experience for their visitors, helping them to enjoy reading their content, and leading them to subscribe.

Now, many think fancy graphics, flashy gradients, and slick textures are key to generating the right user experience. This line of thinking has been nurtured by theme designers who should know better, and they’ve encouraged buyers to think that’s what they need.

But, they’re wrong.

What bloggers need, is a design that gives them the functionality they need, while at the same time, a design that gets out of the way of the content, and leads people to subscribe.

3. Understand the Law, Rather than Your Feelings

For the layman, Hick’s law argues that, the time it takes to make a decision increases as the number of options increases.

Did you get that?

What is the one thing visitors don’t have when they visit a website? Time!

What’s the one thing a blog owner wants from their visitors? Their time!

So logically, isn’t it best to give visitors loads of options, so that they search them all and stay on the site longer?

Not according to the Law.

By eliminating junk, and giving highly targeted options, a designer can make most of the decisions for visitors, making it easier for them to browse the site and find the juicy content!

But, look at most themes, and what do you find? Hundreds of links on every page, and more ‘options’ than visitors can bare.

4. What Simplicity Really Is

It was my good friend, David Airey, that first taught me a design is finished, when you can’t remove anything more.

This is, in essence, the definition of simplicity; ‘no unnecessary elements’.

Some foolish people think it’s the easy way out. Let such people run along with their tacky little designs, and inefficient layouts.

Simplicity is difficult.

That’s why pseudo-designers cannot do it, and why they defend themselves with needless complexity.

They lack the ability to make simple beautifully efficient.

Sadly, theme designers are selling their customers cheap by providing them with more features, rather than the power of simplicity; which is what works!

Theme designers…simplicity is not dull, it’s effective!

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