Keep it Simple, Stupid

..Google rules the airwaves.

What’s the goal of design? Effective communication.

This is who we are, this is what we do, this is what we stand for.

For your design to deliver, you must be able to communicate clearly to your audience. Let’s look at Google.

Google’s homepage may be seen as plain, however I’ll assert that no one has ever gone to Google’s homepage and not understood what Google is and how it works. It is simple, clean, and communicates Google’s brand without the distractions of glitter and ornaments.

To contrast, Mahalo.com brands itself as a human powered search engine and is designed with all the bells and whistles money can buy.

Mahmmm... lo

They may give you eye candy, but I’ll give you $100 if you can go to their homepage and tell me what they do in 140 characters or less… I’m serious, email me at mgwitham@asu.edu. So what’s the moral?

Don’t overwhelm your audience. Design to clear, digestible messages that don’t need a cryptologist to decipher.

Submitted by OrangeSlyce user Mike Witham. Get your money from him. Thanks Mike!

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http://twitter.com/boersc Chris Boers
I’ll give the same answer an anonymous asker just asked on Mahalo:
“Mahalo is a place you can find and share knowledge about everything! It consists of general knowledge and “Q&A”.
That’s 112 characters, so I have 28 characters left. Do I get a bonus for that?
http://twitter.com/ArthurSlugworth Tyler Anderson
Too general Chris, the internet itself consists of general knowledge & “Q&A”. Google anything and see.
Michael Witham
Full Disclosure: I am the anonymous asker from Mahalo…
I agree with Tyler’s assertion, you’ve just described the Internet…try again with a more specific description of Mahalo and get your $100… and yes, I’ll add a dollar for every character you are under 140!
Scott Menor
Looking at the original post, “go to their homepage and tell me what they do”, I don’t even know that you could say that much.
I happen to know what they do from reading the above but, to me, their front page makes it look like a place about Thanksgiving.
Michael Witham
Sorry Scott,
That answer is not going to win the $100… please try again.
Daniel Tansill
“Mahalo is a peer to peer, knowledge sharing facilitator. Questions, how to’s, and ideas are directed to other peers, not simply professionally sponsored sites.”
136 characters. Ya dig?
Scott Menor
but did you get that from their homepage ?
I don’t see anything about peers or knowledge there (nor even on their about page http://www.mahalo.com/mahalo ; I do see a bunch of ads there though)
http://twitter.com/Chatroam Chatroam.com
Mahalo is a website that teaches people how to cook thanksgiving day foods.
Michael Witham
Sorry Chatroam.com…
This description is not worthy of $100…Please try again.
Daniel Tansill
Nope, I just wrote a description of what I thought it was. It is knowledge sharing all over the place… How to cook a good turkey, good recipes, ect. It is more peer to peer in the fact that it links you to an end user. If you posted a question in google, it will take you to other sites for the information, not offer it up for other end users to answer
http://twitter.com/ArthurSlugworth Tyler Anderson
In other words, if you posted a question into Google, you would find the answer immediately from multiple sources (or peers), on Mahalo you post something then wait for a random person to give you an answer (which they probably found using Google anyway). Google links you to other peers, someone had to create the result you find…
Mike – Mahalo, pay others to Google for you. (37 Characters)
Garrett Moser
Sequoia Capital’s Single… it’s going to be hard to return 10x on this investment…
Nobody even knows what it does?
Michael Witham
Sorry Garrett, I think Mahalo is going to do just fine… Content is still king and they are acquiring a wealth of information.
http://www.mahalo.com/answers/can-you-describe-what-mahalo-does-in-140-characters-win-100-in-cash Ryan Styla
Mahalo – The Internet on the Internet. Search, learn, shop and play just like you can everywhere else on the web.
How’s that Michael. Show me the MONEY !!!
http://www.mahalo.com/member/knowsalot knowsalot
Part Encyclopedia, part How-To, part Q&A, ALL relevant results from REAL humans. Ask questions, get answers. Answer questions, receive tips.
Consider changing “receive” to “get” depending on your audience and space considerations. Whaddoyouthink?
Michael Witham
Close, but no cigar…
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