The three core principles of great web design

The essence of a website is self-service. There are three core things that self-service needs to get right: convenience, speed, and price. Convenience means task achievement with minimum effort. Speed means that you get in and out of a website as quickly as possible. People are cheap on the Web. It’s hard to design for self-service. It requires an absolute focus on simplicity and clarity of message. People read on the Web like they read motorway signs. They are moving at speed. There is precious little time to focus, so the message must be clear. [Gerry McGovern]