The web is still pretty new; it has grown from nothing to massive in 10 years, and continues to expand at an incredible rate.
Nobody doing web design has been doing it very long (compared to other industries).
There's a serious lack in education. (I've received emails from students on new media design courses taught by professionals, who tell me they aren't getting told about the essentials of visual design or how to think like a web designer).
Low barrier to entry: It has long been said that the best thing about the web is that anyone can be a publisher, and the worst thing about the web is… anyone can be a publisher!
Because most other sites suck, the examples you're working off probably suck, your competitors' sites probably suck, and there's a lack of really positive examples to work towards.
There's no overall authoritative guide to quality. The public accept the situation as inevitable. We're so used to sites that suck that we don't think how much better it could be and don't demand quality.
Most clients don't appreciate how good websites could be, and don't demand the highest standards.
A New Standard in web design
Most of the web industry is stuck repeating old mistakes. We need to correct these patterns and adopt a new standard of service that empowers and benefits every site owner and visitor.
To do this, we need to understand more clearly what makes sites work or fail. That awareness will arrive as we collect, test and share our knowledge. Buyers also need to be better informed, to know how to discern quality service, and demand it.
There is a growing number of designers producing web sites that prove how powerful and profitable online commerce and marketing can be. These set the new standard that all sites should aim to match.
