It takes around 50 milliseconds for website visitors to form an opinion about a site, according to research from Carleton University. Web design plays a large role in site users’ opinions. When users visit a site, they get a first impression of the site owner’s business. A good web design can help promote trust and prolong site usage, among other benefits.
To reap the benefits of good web design, you’ll need to start with good web design processes. What web design processes does a web designer use to create a good web design project? This guide will highlight the five components of web design, helping you understand the finer points of web design processes.
What Is Web Design?
Web design is the design of websites on the Internet. It focuses on user experience rather than software development, as opposed to web development. Web design covers the design of websites for desktop browsers, tablets, and mobile browsers.
The professionals who handle web design are called web designers. They work on a site’s layout, appearance, and content elements. Some aspects of a site’s visual content that web designers work on include images, color palettes, and fonts.
What Are the 5 Components of Web Design?
There are some essential elements of web design that make a site stand out and achieve the purpose it was built for. Some of the components of web design include navigation, content, visual design, conversion, and information accessibility.
Navigation
The website design must be easy to navigate. This also means that the items on the site’s menu should be accessible and the user should know how to find the information they are looking for without a hassle. This is why a site map is used to make it easier to find things on the website. The menu should be interactive and functional with a clear content arrangement system.
Content
Content is very important for a website, as it plays the main role of attracting new customers through search engine optimization (SEO). This is why a site needs to have easy-to-read real content that’s informative and concise, such as blog posts. When content is planned using a content marketing strategy, it will make your website more popular, effective, and engaging.
Visual Design
Visual design is also an important component of website design because most people are visually oriented. When a mobile development team uses great graphics, their website will be more appealing to users.
A good visual design shows visitors that a site is professional and trustworthy. The use of animation, scrolling text, and flash intros should be reduced to the barest minimum, as this may visually overload users and cause your site to load more slowly.
Information Accessibility
In most cases, site visitors do not have time to look through an entire site to know what it offers. Rather, they try to find a few details such as addresses or phone numbers. This is why important information must be placed where it can be accessed easily.
Visitors can get frustrated and find another website that offers similar services if they are unable to find what they are looking for on yours. Information accessibility is important because it could cost you potential customers who also have the possibility of becoming loyal return customers.
Conversion
The last essential element of website design is conversion. Business owners use their websites to push their goods and services. When potential customers visit a site, they can choose to buy there or go somewhere else. The web design must promote awareness of a site’s business services to encourage the conversion between potential customers and buying customers.
What Is a Web Design Process?
A web design process is a series of design steps that cover different areas, such as user interface (UI) design, user experience (UX) design, graphic design, and search engine optimization (SEO). It involves the different phases of creating a functional website.
The web design process involves up to seven steps in some cases. However, fewer steps may be involved, depending on the requirements of the site owner. It is important to follow this web design process in the right order and this will be discussed in the section below.
What Are Web Design Processes Good For?
Web design processes are good for several purposes, such as saving costs during the web design process. Web designers can prevent issues in a later stage of development and shorten the project timeline if they use these processes to guide them. Other reasons to utilize web design processes include the following.
- Search engine optimization (SEO). Not following a web design process will have a negative effect on your site’s visibility. It will affect how content is published through content management systems and this will inadvertently impact the search engine ranking and indexing.
- Trust. The appearance of a website can affect how visitors perceive the site. This will, in turn, affect how much they trust inputting their personal information on a site and reduce their willingness to give an online business their money in exchange for services. A poorly designed website looks shady to visitors.
- Audience reach. The point of a business website is to reach its target audience and convert them to buying customers. If the website is unable to reach the right audience, this purpose will fail. It is pertinent to follow a web design process to ensure that the website reaches the right audience.
What Are the 5 Steps of the Web Design Process?
Web design involves several phases, from the discovery phase to the launch phase. The web design process starts with discussing the needs of a business, the client’s plans, and all the requirements needed to create an excellent web design. For the purpose of this guide, the complete web design process will be divided into five critical steps and discussed accordingly.
Brief
The brief is the first stage in the web design process. It begins with an interview between the web design team and the client. This stage is one of the most important phases because the result of the discussion will set the pace for the entire process. Everything discussed in the briefing will determine the team’s design checklist and set a goal for the final result.
During the initial stages, the development team gathers the required information to start the process. They can also express their concerns about the client’s desired design and the recommended changes they wish to make to it.
Planning
Next comes the planning stage. The web designer starts with defining the project scope plan, or scope creep, and an overarching strategy. This project scope plan covers all the tasks to be completed and the expected correspondence with the business owner. It includes the milestones and realistic timeline to meet before the project will be complete.
The planning stage also involves research work. Web designers brainstorm and devise design inspiration to meet the needs of the client. Before moving forward, the team develops a mockup and an initial layout of the site pages. It appears like a naked site because it does not include any design features. The web design team also maps the location to ensure that the site is accessible.
Design
The design stage involves testing design styles, features, and design elements to create an aesthetically pleasing and functional web design. It begins with research to give the team the creativity and inspiration they need. The team uses the design phase to analyze the brand identity of the business as well as the competitor’s designs to see where improvement is needed.
These professionals check the branding elements like the logo or mascot which may help identify the business. They also check the color scheme because it is an important component in web design. The web design team may also come up with visual elements such as controls, buttons, and icons, and create a visual style guide.
Development
At this stage, the design team will convert the design into CSS/HTML templates and convert CSS/HTML templates into CMS-based sites. They also add the functional unit before starting the testing process. During the tests, they check if the website meets certain web standards. This stage requires checking if the code is well structured, optimized, and properly documented.
This means that the site must adapt to screen sizes for different devices, making it a responsive design. Next, the designers check the site’s performance through site optimization. This is essential because it is linked to conversions and user experience. If the site loads slowly, the users will likely leave. This defeats the purpose of starting a website to promote a business.
Launch
At the launch stage, the website is ready for the public. The five-stage design process is almost complete. During this final stage, the design and SEO team checks and tests the site repeatedly to ensure that everything works well. The client must have reviewed and approved during each stage to ensure that the final design meets their preference.
The steps in this phase include functionality, security, and performance checks as well as user experience tests. The design team transfers the website to the client’s server and integrates any snippets such as email marketing instruments, Google Analytics code, and ads. This phase may involve training the client’s design team to handle the website.
How Can I Learn Web Design Processes in 2022?
You can learn web design processes using online web design classes. Platforms like Udemy, Udacity, and Coursera offer various courses on web design and you can enroll in any of these programs to learn to create well-designed websites. Another option to learn web design processes in 2022 is to enroll in online web design bootcamps.
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Web design bootcamps are known for their intensive training programs with short timelines. These programs are tailored to the needs of employers and you can choose your preferred method of learning to learn both the basics and intricacies of web design.
Web Design Processes FAQ
The most important web design process is the brief stage. During this phase, the web design team and the client meet to discuss the requirements of the web design. Without a briefing, the entire design process will be vastly slowed down and will require numerous revisions. The briefing stage allows the designers to suggest useful ideas for the client’s website.
There are five main web design processes and they include the brief, planning, design, development, and launch stages. The brief involves an interview between the client and the web design team, while the planning stage involves researching to create a better product than the competitors. The design, development, and launch stages bring design ideas to life.
Web design processes are important because they involve crucial steps that ensure that a web design meets not just the client’s preference but also the global standard. Web design plays a large role in conversion and customer retention. It also helps build trust. Not following the laid down processes could impact the results of the design negatively.
You can learn web design processes in a coding bootcamp, such as Flatiron School. There are a lot of options around the country to choose from. If you prefer, you can even learn remotely. Coding bootcamps do not only teach web development practices, you can also learn other important fundamentals to pursue a career in tech.
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