It's often a good idea to "split the experience" - providing different views and options for new site visitors and for more experienced users.
However, designers and developers often don't take advantage of this simple concept.
Web sites need to cater for visitors at every stage, from the vital first impression through to the regular return visit.
First impressions are critical because, if the initial experience isn't right, there won't be any more experiences.
First-time visitors need to know straightaway:
But return visits are also very important. When you use a web site on several occasions, you don't need to be reminded what the site's for, you should know the basics of what you can use the site for, and you should already be sold on the benefits.
Repeat users have very different needs:
It's probably because we're not used to thinking that we can create different views. I think that, once we consider when and how to split the experience, the opportunities should become quite obvious.
The majority of web sites are dynamically generated using scripting languages like PHP, ColdFusion, RubyOnRails, ASP etc. But it's also possible to show & hide different pieces of content using client-side JavaScript. (May do a tutorial on this if anyone's interested..)
This means that most of us can easily create alternative views for different groups of users.
Let's think what information and techniques we can use to differentiate users with different levels of experience.
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