Sit back and enjoy the ride

Andreas has some great visual examples in his post about design that allows visitors to lean back instead of leaning forward when visiting a site.

This is a subject close to my heart and one that, as Andreas notes, I find myself bringing up on a regular basis.

The reason for this is my passion for clarity. Focused copy and large visuals help get a message across faster, clearer and with more confidence. It forces the writing to be precise, the visuals relevant, and when combined with vertically longer pages, it saves the visitor clicks and frustration, as the relevant content is “all there”.

Leaning forward activities:

• Working with Excel sheets
• Trying to find the right field in a tax form
• Fixing stuff that’s broken
• Talking to people we are forced to meet with

Leaning back activities:

• Watching movies
• Enjoying art
• Eating good food
• Talking to people we like

Is your site a “lean forward and work your way through it” challenge or a “lean back and enjoy the ride”experience?