The intersection of Art and Science

Domains and a website are the exact intersection of art and science. To me this is where they collide and merge. First of all many if not most will not even agree with the statement that a website is where art meets science. To me it is crystal clear. And very simple.

Art? Why art? Well that is pretty easy. The art is the website. The feeling you get when you are on the website. Is it static and boring or is it warm and cozy? Are the colors easy on the eyes? Is the contrast right so it is easy to read? Do you feel welcome? These are all elements of art and there is a little science behind some of that because of an overlap. We know what colors work best. We know what things touch the senses. We know how masses will react when specific stimuli is applied. That sounds like science to me. Science on the art side before we even get to the science side. Confused?

Now on the science side we talk traffic. How potent is that traffic? How targeted is the traffic? What is the source of that traffic? How much you pay for that traffic? What that traffic is worth and finally what that traffic produces in the way of profits.

Once you have the traffic and you have the fuzzy feeling art the next component of the science is how the traffic flows thru your site. As a site owner you are also a traffic cop. Just like a supermarket or a department store, your job is to gently guide your customers to where YOU want them to go to BUY what YOU want them to buy. If you gain control than at least 75% will be guided to where you want. Your job is to tweak one link at a time. One new position at a time. One new color at a time. One new anything at a time and then wait until you see a real result. Art and science together at last!

Have a GREAT day!
Rick Schwartz

Comments

[Kevin]

Having been on the Net since the beginning, all my research and experiences indicate that keeping it simple works best.

It amazes me how many businesses setting up their first web site will tell their designers, we want something spectacular looking. Well guess what, spectacular looking is for Art Museums, not the web.

Sure jazzy sites are cool to look at and definitely wow candy for the eyes at first sight, but 99.9% of web users who will become regular users of a site, want easy simple navigation, easy visuals, basic clearly readable fonts and colors, and most of all ultra fast loading pages. And spectacular looking complex sites just can't do that.

The golden rule of business and marketing is KISS! (KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID!) And this really applies when marketing on the Web.

One of my latest opportunity focusings is that people are getting more and more overwhelmed by the vast quantity of search engine results. Way back, it used to be the rule of thumb was people would go up to 5 to 10 pages deep within search results. I don't think that is the case any longer. Maybe 2 to 3 pages at most. Usually only 1 page. People are frustrated with search. This is one of the reasons type-in domains do so well generating traffic.

With over 65 Million .com's alone competing for Web users, the flea market is jam packed and people are getting lost trying to find what they're looking for.

Thus, I believe, the next big science and opportunity to conquer is going to be sharpening search to pinpoint accurate quality results. The golden opportunity is going to be providing Web users with new and better ways to do "Targeted Searching".

Hmmmm, I just checked and see TargetedSearching.com is available for regging. :)

There you go folks. In what other business can you wake up in the morning and make a $6.75 total investment that will make you money in perpetuity? Domain investing is the most incredible business opportunity I've ever seen.

So if anyone tells you all the good domains are already taken, don't believe them. Its just a matter of grabbing your shovel, putting on your thinking cap, and heading out to the Net's domain goldmines each day.

The gold is just sitting out there waiting to be grabbed by lucky and diligent prospectors.

So as Rick says, Have a GREAT day!

[kamal]

I agree with Kevin. Best websites are simple and convert users into customers best. That's one design philosophy Google's taken to heart (obvious in all products they launch).

[Motivational-Depot.com]

I think that once Art is mass produced, it becomes a business. Being successful in business is a science.
Art = Science

[Charles]

Great post...this is one of my favorite questions to debate...Is business an art or a science?

I reckon business is an art, not a science. I think so because at the end of the day business is about people, and people are too complex and nuanced to consider it as a science.

The qualification though is that business is an art in the execution, not the conception. Ideas are dime a dozen, it's all about the execution.