Disclaimer: The views expressed on this site are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of my employers. :) – Manning Krull
My digital philosophy mantras
Is it possible to have more than one mantra? An interesting philosophical question! Well, I've got a ton of 'em. These are the things I hear myself saying constantly in meetings with my colleagues and clients every day. I guess you could say these are the defining principles of my philosophy on digital. I'd love to hear yours!
- Mobile first.
- A good mobile experience is easy to extend to desktop. The inverse is never true.
- Focus on success. Our clients' success is our success.
- Accessibility and ADA compliance are our ethical responsibilities as human beings.
- A good design incorporates accessibility from the beginning, not as an afterthought.
- Accessibility = engagement. And engagement = success.
- Empathy is the most important quality an agency professional can have. Empathy for users, for our clients, and for our colleagues. Ask yourself what people want, what people need, and what you can do to treat them with respect and dignity.
- Don't ask, "What do we want to say?" Ask, "What are users likely to be looking for, or happy to find?"
- If we're required to include a certain piece of content, we're required to make it readable for all users.
- There is no fold in digital media. Users scroll automatically.
- If the content is engaging, users will scroll forever.
- Is the purpose of this piece to educate the user (e.g. a website), or to make the user do something (e.g. a banner ad)? Focusing on that goal is focusing on success.
- Digital best practices aren't merely a suggestion; they're the rules for digital design.
- Always, always defer to UX. They're the one department that is, by nature, 100% focused on the things that will make our work successful.
- Always, always defer to Digital Inclusion (our accessibility consultants). DI is the one department that is, by nature, 100% focused on making sure all users can engage with our work (and protecting our clients from lawsuits and PR nightmares).
- We are responsible for educating our clients about digital best practices and guiding them toward making decisions that will enhance their success. Don't forget, they hired us because we're the experts!
- We should always make sure we're acting as a partner and a consultant for our clients — not just executing.
- We must embrace the nature of digital media — not fight against it.
- Just because we've always done it this way doesn't mean we should continue doing it this way.
- Give your recommendation. Defend it vigorously, politely, and briefly. Then get aligned with whatever the team chooses.
- No user has ever complained that the font was too big. Users will bounce quickly if the font is too small.
- Users will not work hard to read our marketing materials.
- Never, ever — ever — use a carousel.
– Manning
Questions/comments? Feel free to contact me at manning@manningkrull.com. I update these articles pretty frequently — best practices evolve over time as the world of digital quickly changes, and I always welcome insights from others.