Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) officials recently spent $300,000 to redo the school system website (www.cms.k12.nc.us). I am not really impressed with the design, but co-workers tell me that I am hard to please, so I would not make much of that.
Anyway, I think that everyone who is thinking about redesigning a website should read this article: “Why the Drudge Report is one of the best designed sites on the web.” Design is more than pretty colors, smooth lines, and rotating photos of kids “learning.” According to the author of the article, Jason Fried,
To clarify, my definition of design goes beyond aesthetic qualities and into areas of maintenance, cost, profitability, speed, and purpose. However, I still think that the Drudge Report is an aesthetic masterpiece even though I also consider it ugly. Can good design also be ugly? I think Drudge proves it can.
Of course, CMS need not worry about profitability, but certainly maintenance, cost, speed, and purpose are important considerations.
