I don't talk much about web design even though that is what I do for a living. But I have been hanging out at a couple of sites that have brought to focus what is really important in designing a great website. It's something that Jeneane Sessum, at Allied refers to as voice. Voice is kind of a squishy term. How do you measure voice? Or is it one of those things that if you see it you know it? Well, I saw it. I've come across two sites, from a "design" point of view, could be classified as amateur efforts. The navigation can be pretty funky, the layout is visually challenged, and the typography would cause a graphics designer to run screaming from the room. Yet I have been spending hours and hours at both of them.

There are two things that keep me coming back — content and voice. We do read how important content is but not much about voice. Both these sites are commercial sites — one is selling bicycles and the other is selling cameras. Both are created and run by individuals. Individuals that are *very* knowledgable about their subject, but the distinctive thing about them is that they are both *very* passionate about what they are doing. And they transfer that passion through their voice. It's very clear that every page was put together by a person that just isn't just interested in selling you a bicycle or a camera but want's to turn you on to something much bigger. Now, if you aren't interested in bicycles or range finder cameras, your mileage may vary. Wander around these sites. But be careful, you may get sucked in.

The first one is put together by Sheldon "Enough?" Brown at Harris cyclery. On his page he states that he wants people to think that he is: independent minded, original, a person with a sense of humor, and somebody who doesn't take himself too seriously. Maybe these are some of the things that contribute to that squishy thing called voice. (Disclosure: Sheldon's web site has convinced me to try fixed gear riding.)

Harris cyclery

They other one is...

Stephen Gandy's CameraQuest

(Disclosure: Stephen is causing me to get the money togther to buy several of his fine products.)

For contrast, here is a little example of the not-voice. It's a very progressive web design house...

37 signals

Here are some quotes, from their site, on how to they make compelling sites.

We can redesign your site We offer a range of visual interface design services for web sites, intra/extranets, and web-based applications. Our focus on usability will make your customers happy. We can analyze usability Our experts (7+ years of experience each) will perform a heuristic analysis of your site's usability and overall customer experience, giving you realistic recommendations and solutions. We can educate your team Our popular usability workshops, custom on-site corporate training presentations, and insightful research reports provide you with powerful knowledge you can put to use today.

Not a mention of voice. No mention of passion. Voice — it's hard to quantify and I don't think it can be taught. It happens so seldom that sometimes we are taken aback by it. I wish there was more of it.