The process of answering the three questions every persuasive website must answer helps us determine what content and copy the website is going to need.
Once we use this process to come up with content and copy, we can get through one of the early, yet critical, stages of storyboarding.
The next stage involves wireframing, in which we create a text-only action, decision, or experience model of your website, stripped of content. Then comes storyboarding, wherein we present an offline version of how your website will look. These stages save time and money since they give you a close idea of how your site will look, feel and operate…. while it is still inexpensive to change it to meet your criteria.
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The rough sketch should contain a mockup of the visual aspects of the screen. We create a rectangle representing the page, and block out the elements of your design. Since content is the most important element, that’s what we start with. Elements we consider are branding, navigation, page titles, header graphics, and footers, which include copyrights and privacy notices.
After we have designed and perfected these elements, we assign each element a priority so you will know which elements need the most emphasis. Then we take into consideration the principles of eye-tracking so all elements are placed where a user would expect them to be, thus making the site both functional and easy-to-use.
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After you have approved the look and feel of the presentation of your website, we move to more the detailed design phase. This is the first part of the phase where we start designing for aesthetics.
Things We Consider: Scanning and skimming. We lay out your text based on how visitors scan websites and skim text.
The Eight-Second Rule: When a person first visits your website you have about eight seconds to inform and persuade. The design and copy must be engaging enough to keep that person on your site past the eight seconds.
Focal Point Design:This may sound obvious, but you can't imagine how many websites want people to take an action, yet make it virtually impossible to see the call to action. If action isn't obvious your prospects will become “lost”… and with that a potential sale might become lost as well.
KISS: Keep It Simple Stupid (Or, Sweetie).
We develop the mockup in grayscale so you can assess how the composition of the piece works without the emotional influence of color. If it looks good in black and white, you've probably got a design that will come alive with the judicious use of color. If it doesn't work in black and white, chances are colour additions won't play well, either.
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This is where we finally focus on the mood and impact color can create. Better use of color means a better website. If you have corporate colors, this is where we will choose how to use them.
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Once the colour mockup is completed, we can now turn this image into actual web pages while considering download time, compatibility with multiple browsers, use of cascading style sheets, laying out of tables with an understanding of how search engines spider a website, choosing fonts with an eye toward easy screen reading, and so much more.
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