The Art Of Good Web Design
- By Jeffery Nevil
- Published 12/21/2011
- Web Design
- Unrated
Web design is a tricky service to buy as everyone and his mother think they are a web designer these days. The problem is that you need to know a bit about web design yourself to know if the web designer you are talking to is any good. Well, let's be honest, if you knew web design you wouldn't be hiring a web designer! So here are some top things to ask about/check for to ensure that you are contracting a good web designer.
Understanding the customer. Websites should be completely tailored to suit the needs and desires of the target customer. Therefore, the person who designs the website also has to understand the needs and desires of the target customer. Find out how the web designer comes up with their initial design concepts. Is it on a hunch, or based solely on the brief without bringing in any of their own expertise? Do they have experience in your field or do they carry out research which could include competitor research, user surveys or best practice guides? If they do not do the latter two points then they are not the designer for you.
Understanding different users' requirements. Pretty much everyone uses the internet these days so depending on what your business does you website is likely to have visitors who use screen readers or are colour blind for example so the design of your website should accommodate these users. Colours should be distinct,
particularly font colours and the code on the web page should be well structured for screen readers to follow.
Understanding search engines. Some designers hate web developers and digital marketers, this is a very bad sign for a web design project! Ask the designers how closely they work with web developers to ensure that the designs are internet friendly. Find out if they are up-to-date with the latest design for the web techniques as browsers and platforms on which users browse are changing all the time. You do not want all the images on your website to be incompatible with Tablets, for example.
Understanding your business. This may seem like a strange point to have last but if a designer understands your customer then they should really understand your business. The point here is that they know your business objectives and that the design is tailored to deliver them. For example, if your website is relying on advertising revenue then the design needs to allow for the addition of different types of content, such as text, video and images which will encourage people to visit your website and a clear easy to use navigation so that users view as many pages as possible on each visit. If you have an ecommerce website then the design should be tailored towards encouraging users to buy products.
Hopefully these four tips should help you to find the right person to design your next website, without having to invest too much of your time and without being duped.
Understanding the customer. Websites should be completely tailored to suit the needs and desires of the target customer. Therefore, the person who designs the website also has to understand the needs and desires of the target customer. Find out how the web designer comes up with their initial design concepts. Is it on a hunch, or based solely on the brief without bringing in any of their own expertise? Do they have experience in your field or do they carry out research which could include competitor research, user surveys or best practice guides? If they do not do the latter two points then they are not the designer for you.
Understanding different users' requirements. Pretty much everyone uses the internet these days so depending on what your business does you website is likely to have visitors who use screen readers or are colour blind for example so the design of your website should accommodate these users. Colours should be distinct,
Understanding search engines. Some designers hate web developers and digital marketers, this is a very bad sign for a web design project! Ask the designers how closely they work with web developers to ensure that the designs are internet friendly. Find out if they are up-to-date with the latest design for the web techniques as browsers and platforms on which users browse are changing all the time. You do not want all the images on your website to be incompatible with Tablets, for example.
Understanding your business. This may seem like a strange point to have last but if a designer understands your customer then they should really understand your business. The point here is that they know your business objectives and that the design is tailored to deliver them. For example, if your website is relying on advertising revenue then the design needs to allow for the addition of different types of content, such as text, video and images which will encourage people to visit your website and a clear easy to use navigation so that users view as many pages as possible on each visit. If you have an ecommerce website then the design should be tailored towards encouraging users to buy products.
Hopefully these four tips should help you to find the right person to design your next website, without having to invest too much of your time and without being duped.
Jeffery Nevil
Jeffrey Nevil writes on a number of subjects including web design Surrey, branding and e-marketing.
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