Striving for consistency sounds a little cliché these days, doesn’t it? Of course, we all want to strive for consistency depending on what we do. But, with design and development here at Creativetopia, consistency is key.
Consistency is the difference between a website that looks beautiful and a website that churns out a Javascript error. It’s the difference between a logo that is recognizable by the entire world and a logo that confuses its viewers. Essentially, consistency is the difference between good and great.
One of the main reasons consistency is so important is because of the user. While the developer may not care about consistency on the backend, the user does. The user needs to (and wants to) know what is going to happen each time he clicks a link or adds something to his shopping cart or scrolls down to read another story. A lack of consistency for a user creates frustration and ultimately drives users away.
Another aspect of consistency simply comes down to the layout and function of your site. Like it or not, there is a generalized way that people view the web now, and websites need to have an intuitive layout to them—or people will leave. And, the function of your site needs to be consistent not only within your brand but within the web design field in general. If a user clicks a link and a smiling monkey pops out waving instead of taking the user to the page he clicked on, he’s not going to be happy. That’s because links need to consistently go to the pages they are directed.
Even if it seems trite, consistency day in and day out is key.