How often do you visit a website and find that it isn't functioning properly? Lack of functionality is a very common problem that I see. A site needs to function reliably and consistently, regardless of the platform and browser choices of the viewer. Too many designers seem willing to sacrifice functionality in exchange for one web gimmick or another. Building a website is more than just slapping the pieces together and praying. Test, test test, and then do it again. Here is a short list of things that need to be checked. It is by no means complete.
- Have you checked Mac and PC? How about Linux?
- Does it work in IE7? Firefox? Opera? Safari? Did you forget IE6?
- Have you checked all of the pages, even the obscure ones?
- If it's a blog, have you verified that the RSS feeds are working?
- Are all of the images loading? Even those called by the CSS?
- Could any of those images be made to load faster? Dial-up viewers would appreciate it.
Don't let minor problems with your site cause major problems with your viewers and your clients. Good design is great, but if you can't make it work, it's useless. Make sure that your functionality is as good as your design.