Web design in Cambridge

Write the first paragraph for an outsider

The structure that works is unglamorous: what the problem is, what you do about it, and why that matters — in ordinary words, before any of the detail.

The technical account then follows underneath, unchanged and undiluted. Nothing is lost, because the specialist reader scrolls; the non-specialist reader does not, and currently leaves.

The objection is always that simplifying misrepresents the work. In practice the opposite happens: a clear opening gets more people to the detail, which is where the work speaks for itself.

Several audiences, one company

A technology company here is usually talking to customers, investors, partners and candidates simultaneously, and each wants something different.

Giving each a route of their own — rather than one page attempting all four — is the structural decision that matters most, and it costs nothing but a navigation label.

A city economy underneath the science

Beyond the research and technology cluster, Cambridge is a tourism, retail and services city with a sharp term-time and visitor pattern, and those businesses need the ordinary disciplines done well.

Questions people here ask

Will plain language make our technology look less serious?

No, provided the detail remains below it. The real risk is that a non-specialist cannot tell what you do and leaves before reaching the part that would impress them.

Who should the home page be written for?

Whichever audience you most need to reach, with clear routes for the others. One page trying to serve customers, investors and candidates equally usually serves none of them.

Do we need case studies under confidentiality?

Anonymised problem-and-outcome write-ups work well and are usually permissible. They demonstrate judgement, which a capability list cannot.