Designing things to serve their intended purpose is a worthy goal for life in general.

We hear a lot about this wise principle in connection with Web sites, because in the early days of the Web, a lot of organizations knew they wanted a Web site, but had no real idea of what a Web site could, or should, actually do. With no clear direction from above, many Web developers tended to think in terms of "What cool features can I use on this site?" rather than thinking about what objective these features were intended to accomplish. The result was, to put it mildly, a lot of crummy sites.

First of all, you must determine who the audience is for your site. This is critical, because many design and content decisions depend on this. Is the site for children or adults? Does your target audience access the Net from work, school or home? How fast is their Internet connection? Do they want to be informed or entertained? Make sure you know the answers to these types of questions from the beginning.

Your site must be well organized and easy to navigate, both for the benefit of your visitors and to make it easier to maintain. Map out your site in storyboard or schematic form, perhaps as a flow chart. Consider using index cards to represent the prospective web pages. You can rearrange them very quickly. It really helps to have some way to visualize the structure, whether you're working alone, with colleagues or professionals.

Bear in mind that a website is a perpetual work-in-progress. Most websites change fairly often because the technology makes electronic publishing rapid and relatively inexpensive. A well-planned site simplifies this process. New content and features can be easily added without having to redesign the site.

Common Site Objectives:

	Promote a product or service and steer users to a sales channel (dealer, phone, online).
	Sell a product or service online.
	Deliver online applications.
	Provide content and sell advertising.
	Provide free content to the public (without ads).
	Provide technical support or other services to customers.

Know which side your bread is buttered on!
One thing you'll notice about the little list above is that the categories have less to do with what a site actually provides than with how it's paid for. The folks who are paying the bills for your site are your customers, and it's their wishes you must keep in mind.