A well-planned and efficient process is vital to remain competitive in any field, and the same applies to web design. As visual communicators, web designers believe that online success goes beyond the usual complex algorithms, code, and systems:
Having a solid design process helps articulate the motives of the website. It ultimately enables it to achieve its goal, which can be anything from enticing the audience to buying a product or helping them understand a specific topic or issue.
That said, many web designers already know that their job follows a strict process and is repetitive. However, not everybody understands what a good and effective process is.
If you’re a web designer who wants to go back to the basics of your craft or streamline your routine, then check out this article as we discuss the critical steps in a good website design process and how each stage can help you achieve the best result in your future web design projects.
We’ve also included an infographic to help you understand this process more succinctly!
Strategy
Before we jump into the design process, we need to outline a strategy that covers every aspect of the project – from the organisation’s goal to competing in the market. A good website is built on a solid foundation – an excellent design stems from a clear and well-developed strategy.
To create a clear strategy, you have to consider the following factors:
Goal
You must have a reason(s) for building a website or, in some cases, why an existing website needs redesigned. These goals may include:
- To gain a competitive advantage in the market by presenting your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)
- For establishing brand identity by achieving a visual style that matches your brand
- To maintain a good position in search engine results pages (SERPs)
- Boost leads and sales
- Improve website responsiveness
Brand Message
The key messages that attract and motivate key audiences to engage with your brand that your website can help achieve.
Buyer and Design Persona
A buyer persona is a character that represents the goals, desires, and buying preferences of your target audience. On the other hand, the design persona is how your website represents your brand, which should make a lasting impression on your target audience.
Competition
Identify the top-ranking competitor’s websites and assess their strong and weak points.
With a clear design strategy, you can proceed to the next step: developing a design plan.
Planning
You must create a website plan using the information gathered from phase one. This is where you should decide and map out things that will set the stage for the entire project, which requires two-way communication with your client to ensure that every detail fits their needs and taste.
- Requirements Analysis – This involves the analysis of the information gathered in the previous phase.
- Project Charter – This document summarises all the information you and the client have come up with during the requirements analysis and will serve as the reference point throughout the project.
- Site Map – A list of the main topics on the site, as well as subtopics (if applicable). This will make the website easier to navigate and help its audience find information quickly.
- Project Contract – A document that at least includes the process, technologies used, copyright ownership, payment terms, and project timeline.
- Accessibility – Ensure to obtain and validate host information such as FTP login and/or control panel login details: database configuration, and any languages or frameworks currently installed on the website.
- Resource Requirements – Decide if you need to hire subcontractors and purchase any other technologies you think the project requires. Consider this in the project’s budget, and pass it on to the client for consideration.
Design
This is the phase where the information outlined in the planning stage takes shape. As a designer, this is where you develop the look and feel that your client wants their audience to experience on their website through the meticulous choice of design elements and other key factors.
Wireframe and Design Elements Planning
This mainly involves creating the visual layout for the website using the information gathered from the client in the planning phase. To create wireframes for your web design project, it must include the following elements:
- Colour Scheme
- Logo
- Artwork
- Visual Elements
- Typography
- Rich Media
- User Experience
- Cross-Device Compatibility
Mock-up Presentation
Involves creating and developing initial mock-ups, which can be started with a pen and paper, in a graphics editor such as Photoshop, or by using a front-end framework. The mock-up should follow the requirements analysis done during the planning phase.
Mock-ups are essential since they’re easy to modify and progress, preparing you for the next stage – once approved.
Assessment and Approval Cycle
The cycle where the client will review, modify, and eventually approve the mock-ups when they’re satisfied with their overall look and feel. You should use your design experience here to overcome objections and take valid feedback to help move the project in the right direction.
HTML/CSS Coding
Once you and your client have agreed on the mock-ups, you can move into the next stage, where you’ll start to develop your design by writing with HTML and CSS code as the base of the website.
Development
This is where the creative ideas for the website are made into reality.
The individual graphics and mock-ups produced in the design phase will be stitched together through intense programming to create a functional website.
Always refer to the details compiled in the planning stage to avoid confusion over its functions.
- Framework – Choosing and implementing a development framework – Ruby on Rails, ASP/PHP or a content management system like WordPress.
- Database – Developing a database structure for the website’s content.
- Page Templates – Coding templates for web pages, such as home, about, services, blog, contact, etc.
- Features and Interactions – Developing functionalities for the website’s special features.
- Search engine optimisation – Ensure each website page is optimised for its target keywords by observing the latest on-page SEO practices. Doing so successfully lets you rank on top of search results and attract visitors more effectively.
- Website content – Inserting the content from the writer to their intended pages.
- Links and Functionality Testing – Ensure that all pages – from home to form submissions are working properly.
- Security – Applying security features for the website.
- Mark-up – Implementing the required elements for SEO and social media purposes.
Launch
In the launch phase, you make the final touches on the new website project before you transfer it to your client’s server, ready for public viewing. You must also hand over the documented style guide, site structure, and other deliverables to your client at this stage.
- Refining – Identifying the parts of the website which can be improved further.
- Transfer to Live Server – This means transferring the website to a live server, which makes it accessible to the public.
- Dry Run – Final website diagnosis using tools such as a code validator, broken link checker, browser/device testing, spelling, etc.
- Documentation and Training – Providing documentation for the website (soft copy of the site map, details of framework, and languages used) and training the client/end-user on how to edit the content.
Maintenance
Over time, you want to know how your website design impacted your client’s business performance. Did it get more website visitors and leads, if not clients? Were visitors happy or unhappy with the website based on their behaviour?
Remember that websites rapidly change, which is why they must undergo periodic maintenance and revamping to ensure they’re still at an optimum performance level and in line with ongoing trends within the field.
This phase involves the following actions and updates:
- Resolving technical issues
- Optimising website through A/B testing
- Updating the overall design of the website
- Updating and implementing new features
- Updating and loading new content
These detailed steps make it understandable why the web designing process takes so much time. But this rather strenuous process, when done right, can help you create websites that you and your client can be truly proud of.
You may be handling the future web development process and maintenance yourself or recommending a website maintenance company. At the very least, think about it beforehand and discuss it with your clients during the planning stage. Doing so will ensure it’s thought about and budgeted to help avoid any last-minute surprises.
Proven Web Design Process Infographic
You can use the following infographic to illustrate the critical web design process steps to your clients, internal team, or collaborators.
