Apple’s music player has become a truly modern icon since its launch two years ago. A triumph of design over style, its strength lies in what designer Jonathan Ive terms its “overt simplicity”. As a direct result, the overall iPod user experience is unrivalled in the world of portable digital music players.

Design is at the heart of the device’s success.  Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO, comments “Most people make the mistake of thinking design is what it looks like. People think … that the designers are handed this box and told, ‘Make it look good! … it’s not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.”

Paris Hilton has become a modern icon almost overnight.  A triumph of style over substance, her strength lies in what men all over the world term her “looking good”.  As a direct result, the overall Paris user experience is unrivalled in the world of IT Girls.

Unlike the iPod however, Paris has no discernible function, we have yet to work out her purpose, and her contribution to the world could be described as “undefined”.  It is difficult to think of anything more unlike the iPod, than the hotel heiress.

Do you have a Paris Hilton website, or an iPod website?

It depends on how you view design.  If the driver for your website has been looking pretty you will have a Paris site.  Nice to look at most of the time but a bit difficult.  Probably higher maintenance than you might be used to.  Potentially even occasionally unpredictable.  If on the other hand you have an iPod website, and you view design as how it works, you will have a website which delights your online visitors and customers, making them return again and again.

Early in the development process the iPod design team realised the main challenge facing them was one of navigating content. This conclusion led to the iPod scroll wheel, central both to the iPod’s identity and its usability.

Creating a superior user experience is as crucial on the web as in the world of product design. For example:

Is the user experience of your web site so compelling that users will return without hesitation? Having the right content is essential, but if the user struggles to navigate their way through it, it becomes almost obsolete.

Does your web site offer a function or simplified process that might become integrated into a customer’s home or working life? Removing effort from a routine task is a powerful incentive for users to become repeat visitors.

Is design central to how the site works – or merely an afterthought? The use of graphics does not automatically equal effective design.

The iPod – hype or no hype – has achieved its status through a solid focus on user–centred design, and good web design is no different.  Know your customers and put them at the forefront of your online strategy. Web users are getting wiser all the time – they know what they want and they expect to find it as quickly and as easily as possible.