What Harry Potter Can Teach Us About Good Web Design

Don't worry, you won't find any spoilers here.

If you've read the Harry Potter series, you know how creative these books are. How the plot twists can dupe even the most experienced readers. How the characters grow and continually surprise us. How the stories are funny, scary, emotional and nerve-racking by turn.

Let me ask you, though:

• What side of the book is the binding on?
• What letters of the alphabet does J.K. Rowling use to tell the story?
• What color are the pages? The print?
• Are the pages sequential?

What's fascinating about Potter isn't the formatting of the book but the ideas within it. So why do so many Web site owners toil under the belief that they need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to Web site design?

Good design is about making your Web site easy for visitors to use...especially ones who are there for the first time. Don't spend your creative juices coming up with a novel method of navigation...it will just frustrate and turn off most of your visitors. Instead, go with a clean, professional design that promotes your business, and use your creative on content that engages and persuades your visitors to take action.

Rich Brooks
Muggle