Ben Young: “Poolside FM’s fresh new redesign is proof: There’s tremendous power in creating a distinctive vibe — and an experience that delights.”

NEW YORK — Luxury is in the details, the mindful acknowledgement and response to the finer features. In translating this experience to the digital world, the go-to move has been to try to design one’s way to luxury. Tied to the traditional way of luxury thinking, this, of course, ultimately yielded affectations like two column layouts, images laid like a print magazine, and, more often than not, a slow loading experience.

Beauty is one thing, and it inspires, but in digital, functionality is just as important. We trace the origins of this by rewinding to the late 90s. It was then that Jakob Nielsen, a Danish web usability pioneer, published his research on the optimal user experience. His book, “Web Usability” came out in 1999, and it established the standards for creating the best digital experience. Google itself embraced much of this philosophy, with a simple challenge–reward system. A quick search, led to a quick result. This provided the foundation for the modern internet.

Luxury brands would do well to pick up a copy of this book. It’s 20 years old, which is a lifetime in the digital world, but the principles still stand firm today. Rather than taking a print design and trying to port it to the screen, of which no two screens are the same, brands should be mindful of the details that make for a proper high-end, premium experience that functions well on the screen: The fonts, the load time, readability, white space.

By nature, print is far more predictable. You know the format, you control it. On the web, the end user is in control. In a population of 3 million people, you can have 30,000+ different browser configurations. Every experience, then, is different.

Several suggestions: Kill the two column digital layout, which, for some strange reason, still seems to pop up. Forget about trying to arrange images like you would a print layout. Instead, stick to the basics: A clear headline, beautiful images, easy to read font. And, yes, make it fast.

For me, the earliest tell whether or not a DTC brand will make it, is the digital experience, and the treatment of the content. These little details are noticed by each and every user, and has a tremendous impact on their loyalty, their attention, and ultimately their wallet.

The wider web is a mess, so adhering to these principles makes your site feel luxurious. Doing so creates a distinctive experience, and gives the brand and the site a vibe, a feeling — which is exactly what brands are trying to do.

In a world where no one pays attention to the details, this is the luxury opportunity. This is the exact reason why the new Poolside FM redesign has become an instant hit. It offers a distinct vibe, an unmistakable feeling. It feels fun, familiar, approachable, and tastefully retro. It delights you, and it’s all delivered in a tight, cohesive package. Satisfaction is a feeling of contentment, and it’s an emotional response.

Steve Jobs knew. He’d worry about what the underside of a computer looked like. He also put signatures inside the early Macs. The analogy today is clean code, code that is itself beautiful. The thought here? That attention to detail exposes itself in the rest of the experience.

And I’d say that’s exactly right.