How a Website is like an Ice Cream Sundae
One of the greatest things about a hot summer day is diving into a delicious ice cream sundae made with all of your favorite flavors and toppings. There are so many options when making your sundae - which flavors to choose, two scoops or three, not to mention the plethora of topping choices. Here at Boston Interactive we love creating sundaes almost as much as websites - and when you think about it, are they really that different?
Infrastructure
Your website's content management system is like the container for all of the content in your website and you need to make sure you pick one that can support your requirements. You will have to decide whether it's on a Windows or LAMP environment; whether it's a licensed version or open source, and that it will support all of the features and functionality you have planned for your website.
Like the website, your ice cream sundae won't be successful if you don't have the right container to hold the ice cream. You need to consider the size and shape to make sure everything will fit. Are you stacking your scoops, or placing them side by side; do you need a banana split boat or a sundae dish?
Content
The literary phrase 'content is king' also applies to your website. With strong content, your site visitors will consume the information they were seeking and hopefully have a positive experience. Web content can come in many formats. It could be simple text, or engaging visual imagery, video assets, or personalized mobile content. Whatever the format, always be mindful of your users preferences.
When choosing the ice cream content for your sundae, the same rules apply. A great sundae will leave you satisfied and hopefully with a big smile. Ice cream comes in many flavors - you can go traditional with plain vanilla, or the vanilla, chocolate, strawberry combination, or go freestyle and pick some of the unique flavors like Chunky Monkey or chocolate chip cookie dough. It's all about the preferences of the person eating the sundae.
Features
Today's websites support a lot of engaging features - interactive maps, integrated media, and video backgrounds. These are the elements that add a level of interest and compliment the content of the website. Features shouldn't compete with the content, but rather support it and enhance the user experience.
When deciding what features to add to your sundae, keep in mind the type of content you are working with. Vanilla ice cream allows for the most choices of toppings like chocolate syrup, sprinkles, cherries, nuts, etc., while choosing Chunky Monkey ice cream might rule out some toppings. Whatever the combination you decide, remember to choose the toppings that compliment the ice cream flavor instead of overwhelming it.
User Experience
The user visiting your website needs to find all of its elements cohesive and easy to digest. When all of the content and features flow together and are a solid balance of usability and interaction, your website visitors leave satisfied and happy.
For the ice cream sundae, measuring the user experience is a bit easier. Ice cream flavors and toppings working together for a tasty summertime treat. In the end, success is measured by an empty bowl, lots of napkins, and big smile.
Ultimately the success of a website or ice cream sundae is based on the experience of the one consuming the product. The web design process has been compared to many things - buying a car, an iceberg, even a Hollywood celebrity - but really none of those leave as big of a smile on your face on a hot day as a well made ice cream sundae!
Note: My favorite ice cream flavor is pistachio...