When creating a website, beauty can oftentimes be a trap. Like the mermaids of folklore, beauty lures us close and we do not realize the danger until it is too late. We end up spending so much time creating a beautiful website that we do not leave any time for ensuring that it is actually effective at accomplishing our goals. It looks good, but does it actually do anything?
There is a reason that many of the most popular websites are not actually beautiful. Just think about Amazon or Google. No one would actually say that Amazon’s product listings or Google’s search results are beautiful. In fact, a lot of people would probably say that they are stinking ugly. They are busy, contain no large, beautiful pictures and videos, and use boring typography.
But these websites are some of the most successful, effective websites ever built. From their inception, these companies did not get caught in the beauty trap. Instead, they were obsessed with results. They used data to drive their decisions instead of a fondness for beauty.
Don’t get stuck in the beauty trap.