Structured strategy is becoming more and more important to survive in today’s market landscape. Since competition is getting fiercer, and customers’ attention span is shortening, companies need to be very smart about all the different ways they engage with clients. And yes, this also includes web design and web development. An excellent website is no longer just a nice thing to have; it is crucial for surviving.
As a web developer, you might feel that web design has turned into this repetitive and iterative checklist of tasks, making a slight change, saving, and then repeating. HTML, CSS, and other codes are just about everything you do. But deep down, you know that those are necessary tasks, but you should focus more on creating a powerful design strategy. After all, that’s what will engage your customers and set you apart from the competition.
In this article, we will dive deep and mention six tips that can help you streamline the web design project, making it easier for you to tap into your full potential and deliver the web design you always wanted to without so much hassle. Of course, we understand that each project is unique and will require some different perspectives and things to keep in mind, but these tips are universal enough to apply them in all of your projects.
#1 Strategy
As with anything in life, you need to know what you will do before you start. This means understanding your project from head to toes. As a web design specialist or team member, it should be clear what the project’s business goals are: increase leads, sales, create a rapport with customers, inform, etc. To achieve this, here are a few questions you might consider about the purpose, the goals, and the target audience before beginning this new design:
- What’s the reason you are making or redesigning a website?
- The site’s purpose is to sell goods or services, provide information, or communicate with a specific type of user?
- What are the business goals?
- Why do they care about having a website?
- Do they want to find new clients through it, or is it more of a landing page for those who already know them?
- Is the site meant for a specific group of visitors?
- Where is your target audience located, what language do they speak, what type of audiovisual requirements would they need, if any?
- How old is your target audience?
#2 Planning
You can build a plan now that you know where you are and where you need to go. Having all the information on the purpose, goals, and target audience, you have everything you need to create a strategy and initial design of the elements you will need on your website.
Start by gathering all the information you have and create a sitemap that will include the main topics and subtopics you need to address. Consider what resources or elements you would like to use and which design solutions and technologies will best suit your needs.
#3 Design
Now, make your plan a reality. You already know what you need and how you aim to achieve it. Now it’s time to design and deliver a documented site structure as well as a visual representation.
At this stage, your website should more or less have:
- Required mock-ups: Mock-ups are an excellent tool for you and your clients to test and make modifications easy. It helps your clients visualize how your website will look and function.
- Wireframe and design elements: At this stage, you have all the necessary information to build a wireframe, says Creately. This way, you can show your client how the website will look and how it will work. There are plenty of tools for making your website’s wireframe online, but if you are not comfortable with those platforms, you can always resort back to pen and paper. Additionally, you’ll know what kind of design elements you will implement and what actions will they accomplish.
- Getting feedback: At this stage, you will be sending your design proposal to your client, and they will be giving you feedback, maybe an approval, or perhaps some minor tweaks to do. Make sure they understand what you are presenting to them because it is better to make any changes before coding.
#4 Development
Once the design is already done and approved, you will do a final slice of the mock-up and start the HTML and CSS code for the procedure. Besides diligently checking all the previous steps to make sure that you start to code the right thing, you should also consider a few things:
- Platform: Many out there will be better suited for certain websites, so make sure you analyze and choose the one that will best fit you and your clients.
- Database: Data is essential, and when stored and used wisely, it makes a huge difference. So, develop a logical and robust database for the stable functioning of the site.
- Features: Make sure all the ones you want work correctly.
- Content: Content is everything, so make sure you work with the right content writers.
- Testing: Ensure there aren’t any security leakages and that all the site elements are working correctly.
- Search Engine Optimisation: SEO will help you rank your website up in search engines, so make sure you implement SEO features and have a person in charge of improving it continuously.
#5 Launch
Once everything is done, you are ready to set your website free into the world. However, make sure you double and triple-check everything that could go wrong. Things as simple as spell check or something a tad more complicated like a server check should all be performed before the launch and during. Additionally, make sure you give your client all the necessary files and copies for them to keep.
#6 Maintenance
Once the website has been launched and it has been a wild success, remember the work continues. Maintenance requires you to spend time and attention checking your website at regular intervals. Keep up with all the metrics and monitor how the website is doing. Make sure you regularly check for any upgrades you must do to keep the site’s performance.
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Hopefully, this article made it easy for you to see that streamlining your web design is possible, and it will save you a lot of time and effort in the process. Following these steps can make massive changes and help your web design services or studio achieve extraordinary results.
