Stage 4 – Design

The design stage is where all the work from the previous stages comes together. Key to its success is that it is an iterative process. Each step needs to be reviewed and adjusted, sometimes several times before moving on.

Ideas

Ideas generation relies heavily on the earlier Research stage because the ideas should be solving problems raised during that stage.

Everyone involved with the project should have the chance to suggest ideas for the new website. An idea might come from inspiration, a feature from another website or something someone has seen on TV. As the client you will know more about your customers than anyone, so your input is very important here. We'll note down all the ideas and then together we can short-list them for use later.

Site map

At the start of the design stage we'll create a site map based on the content areas from the previous stage. The site map is the first visual representation of your website. It shows how the different areas and pages of content will be structured and linked together.

Wireframes

The next stage is about creating wireframe diagrams (like blueprints) for each key page to illustrate where the necessary page elements should appear onscreen. These will be reviewed and adjusted to make sure each page layout fulfils your visitors' requirements.

Depending on budget and the size and complexity of the project, it can be useful to build a simple prototype website at this stage and test it with friends and staff. This will highlight any usability issues at an early stage, potentially saving time further on.

Page design

This is the stage where you can see a real picture of what your website will look like. We will accurately mock up each key page, with a focus on branding, colour and typography.

If you'd like to discuss the design of your website, please get in touch.