7 Simple steps to the web design process

March 10, 2022

Web designers often approach the web design process from a technical perspective, focusing on wireframes, programming, and content management.

However, excellent design is not about how social networking buttons are integrated or even about sleek graphics. True design is about aligning the website production process with an overall plan.

Aesthetics are just one aspect of a well-designed website. They engage visitors and educate them about the product, business, and branding by using a number of indications, including graphics, text, and interactions. That implies that each piece of your site must contribute to the achievement of a certain objective.

7 simple steps to the web design process

1. Goal identification

During this early stage, the designer must establish the website's final purpose, which is often accomplished in close collaboration with the customer or other stakeholders. The following are some of the questions to consider and address throughout this stage of the design and website building process:

  1. Who is the webpage intended for?
  2. What do they hope to discover or accomplish there?
  3. Is the main purpose of this website to educate, to sell (ecommerce, anyone?) or to entertain?
  4. Is it necessary for the website to effectively communicate the brand's primary message, or is it a component of a larger branding plan with its own distinct focus?
  5. What, if any, rivals' websites exist, and how should this site be influenced by/different from those competitors' websites?

This is by far the most critical step in any web development process. If not all of these concerns are addressed in the brief, the whole project may take a wrong turn.

2. Scope

Scope creep is one of the most prevalent and perplexing issues that plague web design projects. The customer begins with a single objective, but it progressively extends, develops, or changes entirely over the design process and before you know it, you're designing and constructing not just a website, but also a web app, emails, and push notifications.

This is not always an issue for designers, since it often results in more labour. However, if the higher expectations are not accompanied by an increase in money or timetable, the project might quickly devolve into entirely untenable territory.

3. Sitemap and wireframe creation

A sitemap is the bedrock of every well-designed website. It assists web designers in developing a comprehensive understanding of the information architecture of the website and clarifies the links between the different pages and content sections.

Without a sitemap, developing a website is like building a home without a blueprint. And this is seldom a good thing.

The next stage is to gather design ideas and create a wireframe prototype. Wireframes serve as a container for the site's visual design and content pieces, and may aid in identifying future sitemap issues and gaps.

4. Content creation

Once the skeleton for your website is in place, you can begin with the most critical component of the site: the written content.

Content serves two critical functions:

1: To increase engagement and activity via content

To begin, content engages users and motivates them to do the steps required to accomplish a site's objectives. This is influenced by both the substance (the writing) and the manner in which it is delivered.

Prose that is dull, lifeless, and too lengthy seldom holds visitors' interest for an extended period of time. Short, crisp, and enticing material captures their attention and entices them to click on to more pages. Even if your pages need a significant amount of text — as they often do correctly "chunking" the content into small paragraphs accompanied by images may help it maintain a light, engaging vibe.

2: Search engine optimisation

Additionally, content improves a site's search engine prominence. The technique of creating and optimising content in order to get a high ranking in search engines is referred to as search engine optimisation or SEO.

Choosing the appropriate keywords and key phrases is critical to the success of any website. I'm always using Google Keyword Planner. This tool displays the search volume for prospective target keywords and phrases, allowing you to focus your efforts on what real people are looking for on the web. While search engines continue to improve their intelligence, so should your content tactics. Google Trends is also useful for determining the phrases that people really use while searching.

My design technique is centred on creating websites that are optimised for search engines. The keywords you want to rank for should be included in the title tag the earlier in the tag, the better. Additionally, keywords should be used in the H1 tag, meta description, and body text.

Well-written, informative, and keyword-rich content is more readily indexed by search engines, which helps to make the site more discoverable.

While your customer will often write the majority of the material, it is critical that you provide them with recommendations on which keywords and phrases to include in the text.

5. Visual elements

Finally, it's time to establish the site's aesthetic style. This stage of the design process is often influenced by pre-existing branding features, colour palettes, and logos specified by the client. However, this is the stage of the site design process during which a skilled web designer may really shine.

Images now play a larger part in online design than ever before. Not only can high-quality photographs provide a website a professional appearance and feel, they also convey a message, are mobile-friendly, and contribute to the development of trust.

It is well established that visual content increases clicks, engagement, and income. But more than that, visitors to a website expect to see visuals. Not only can graphics make a page seem less clumsy and simpler to absorb, but they also serve to enhance the text's content and may even provide critical information without the reader having to read it.

6. Testing

Once the site's graphics and content are complete, it's time to begin testing.

Test each page thoroughly to ensure that all links function and that the website displays correctly on all devices and browsers. Errors may be the consequence of minor code errors, and although locating and correcting them is often a hassle, it is preferable to do it immediately rather than risk presenting a faulty site to the public.

Take one last check at the meta titles and descriptions of the pages as well. Even the arrangement of the words in the meta title may have an effect on how well a website performs in a search engine.

7. Launch

Now comes the phase of the website design process that everyone looks forward to the debut. Once everything has been completely tested and you are satisfied with the site, it's time to launch.

Expect nothing to go as to plan. There may still be some issues to address. Web design is an iterative and continuous process that needs continual upkeep.

Web design and, more broadly, design is all about striking the proper balance between form and purpose. You must utilise the appropriate fonts, colours, and design elements. However, the way visitors browse and interact with your site is as crucial.

Skilled designers should be familiar with this notion and capable of designing a site that walks the fine line between the two.

A critical point to note about the launch stage is that it is far from complete. The beauty of the web is that it is always incomplete. After the site is launched, you may do ongoing user testing on new content and features, analyse statistics, and fine-tune your message.

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