The "Design by Committee" Syndrome

It's dreaded by just about any Web Designer out there.  It might start off as a subtle "I showed it to my colleague and they didn't like that color blue" or "my spouse took a look and doesn't like dropdown menus" or... well, you know how it goes. 

Sooner or later, everyone and their mother is giving their opinions on what makes a good Website.  Where does it end?  This is what we call "Design by Committee."  Its more obvious form is when a company allows too many different people to have input and the overall design becomes 'watered down.'

While it is very important that key objectives of a Website redesign project are decided and agreed upon  by all necessary powers that be at the very start of the initiative, there is a definite time where an expert (that's us, Web Designers) needs to be able to distill these core objectives and turn them in to an engaging, dynamic experience.  Having too many chefs in the kitchen at every point in the design process is not going to improve the finished product.

Make sure that there are points where usability testing and feedback is welcomed.  This is a crucial step in the process, but doing it at the right time is also just as important.   The overall vision of the Web site  will be more memorable and dynamic if it comes from a small team.  Specific placement of a few key elements is something that might need to change after some usability testing.

I ran across this article on boagworld.com that  suggests some ways to combat "Design by Committee" syndrome.  I won't recreate his post here, but will just say that having a good process beforehand is a great way to keep things from getting out of hand.

Good luck, and stay strong.