Although XHTML + CSS should never be a replacement for good usability design. Nor should it be implemented in order to increase profits … isn’t that what spam is for?

Andy you’re right about much standards talk being akin to preaching to the converted. On the web as in print, a good writer is one who elucidates that which is felt by many. I reckon there’s been an undercurrent of discontent with standards-obsession amongst many designers, and thank god there’s some relief coming now.

I was starting to think web design was all CSS coding there for a while!

One thing I find though, and maybe it’s lately, there’s too much emphasis on the ‘valid css/xhtml’ end and not enough on basic semantics → and I mean the kind you can read right from the specs.

Great comment Andy.

It’s easy for us “in the know” (sounds elitist, but its not my intention) to think that CSS/XHTML has been talked to death — because we’ve all followed it for so long.

But the fact is, not everyone is at “our” level yet. A new beginner is born every day. Having these resources freely and openly available to everyone is beneficial for the community as a whole — even if it’s all “old-hat” for some.

That said, I agree that there should be more discourse about user experience. Even amongst ourselves, if we have roughly the same % of good markup, its our design and user experience that set us apart.

f(x) = ax + b

Where f(x) is your website, a = design, x = the variables you include to shape user experience and b = (good) code. The small b is constant and should always be present. If not your equation will yield something different — something less good in my opinion.

I like to focus on ax. Because it’s what I love. But that does not mean I don’t have respect for the people that talk about the b. It’s all a matter of balance I guess.

If the purpose of a website is to sell product, then the principle area of any importance is the user experience (Can I find the product I want? Can I found the ancilliary information I need? Can I complete the purchase easily?)

If the purpose is to sell a design agency then the principle focus should be on the visual experience (I’m not got to contract a designer who has an ugly website).

Corporate websites should be about information: shareholder reports, office locations (with all the necessary contact details), product/service information, document archives, etc.

For a personal “home page” there are no rules (waits for the flames).

But, I can’t think of a single type of website that should NOT strive for accessibility and standards-compliance. Yet, today, only a small percentage of sites follow the rules. So, IMO, the websites that discuss CSS/XHTML/etc are not only appreciated by me personally, they are a necessity.

Web-designers the world over need these so that they can adjust their practices and transpose the old web with the new.

So I can only agree, we need to work hard on both layers (design and code) with about equal importance assigned to each.