Just as a vacation in an unfamiliar culture can build a new sense of resolve and purpose upon the return home, this “visit” to malls and retailing can help reinvigorate you and your work and give you new ideas and sources of inspiration.

In part two, the author explores several tactical issues in structuring and presenting content on the web, again looking to traditional retail design for inspiration.

The similarities between web design and retail shops, suggest that the retail environment, which has centuries of experience behind it, might have a few lessons to teach those of us in the emerging discipline of web design. This first part of a three-part article explores the first two of nine lessons.