8 Phases of the Web Design Process: A Comprehensive Guide

Organizations have a need to communicate to stakeholders their positions on issues and make their products and services known to the public. Often, the need for communication, such as a website, is triggered by a change in strategic direction or a new offering. Identifying the reasons for the existence of the site and what it is supposed to achieve is the first step in the process. The goals and objectives that are set at the start of the project inform all future decisions, from the structure of the site and the naming conventions used in navigation to the visual design of the site.

The first step in the definition process is to interview the organization's stakeholders to identify the strategic objectives of the site, understand the key needs of the audience, and identify key competitors. The goal of the definition step is to identify three measurable key outcomes that are directly related to the organization's strategic objectives. The challenge in this step is to limit the number of goals. Most organizations will have more goals than they know what to do, and each department believes that the goals of their individual unit are the most important.

Being able to focus attention on the objectives of the organization will facilitate the development of the site and make the final product more effective. Before launching the site, it will be placed on a production server where only internal audiences and anyone you share the link with can see it. Site testing is critical, as there will inevitably be issues that need to be addressed before the site goes live. There is nothing that erodes a brand more than a site that is not working properly or that has spelling errors or broken design elements.

At this stage, it will be necessary to check the site on various browsers (Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer) and on various devices (laptops, tablets and mobile devices) to see if and where interruptions occur. You've tested the site, the project stakeholders have reviewed and approved it, and you're ready to launch it. But once the site is launched, the project is not finished; you should be prepared to respond to comments from users who are adapting to the new site. Expect to make some immediate changes to the site, such as fixing broken links, editing text, and making adjustments.

The Web is a fluid medium that changes daily, if not every hour; change is inevitable. Keeping the scope of the project as tight as possible is key to success. The web design process consists of 8 steps: 1.Strategy: As with anything in business or life, and regardless of whether you're designing a website or web application for yourself or for a client, you don't want to launch without a plan. This step largely depends on your personal inclinations and nature of your project but deciding on main key elements of your brand can be a fundamental part of planning your strategy and a useful tool for visualizing what you are trying to achieve.

2.Research & Inspiration: Now that your overall plan and goals are set, it's time to do some research and find inspiration. There are many websites with good content but poor design; in addition, a site with good design lacks maintenance. Web development is not just about implementing codes on a website; web design also plays an essential role in this process. 3.Target Audience: Your website is your company's face; people will look at your website while they research it; it has to be unique and perfect.

People who visit your website should get what they're looking for; therefore, you need to know who your target audience is - teenagers or children? Or are they adults? All these things are necessary for successful web development; your web design should be created according to your target audience. 4.Content Management System: Every website needs a good content management system (CMS). There are several platforms you can choose from; WordPress is one of those CMS that is incredible to use - it's world's most famous open source content management system. 5.Business Information: Most people ignore this fundamental step in development process; however, it's important for ensuring that your web design is on right track - you need to gather information about business - know its objectives - do you want to sell products & services? Or do you want to improve brand & work on online visibility? Now research your target audience & other things like theme & color contract etc., which will structure your page in systematic way & make it look attractive.

6.Design: At this stage, design of your website is now under developers' control - they will use codes on site & make it work smoothly; this step brings graphic design from previous stage into life - based on sitemaps home page is designed first than other pages & other elements designed in previous steps are used here for creating real web design - most of time home/landing page is created first & then all other web pages are added depending upon hierarchy of site created as mentioned in sitemap - thorough understanding of each development technology you're going use here is crucial - many companies use WordPress Development Company on day-to-day basis for their website - WordPress isn't limited only for blog sites anymore - WordPress designer can help you design a website that looks competent, responsive, simple-to-maintain & above all gets results.

Gloria Foulke
Gloria Foulke

Wannabe twitter lover. Freelance social media maven. Friendly twitter nerd. Hipster-friendly zombie advocate. Avid zombie practitioner. Amateur baconaholic.