Importantaspects of website design preparation and planning that can result inan international standard, user-oriented business website.
Awebsite is an international advertisement, therefore business websitedesign preparation and planning requires a combination of manyskills: business acumen, visualization, advertising knowledge,creativity, technical know how, etc. Hoping to be excused by critics,I would dare to compare the entire website design process with winemaking which involves planning, collecting the choicest grapes,fermenting, maturing, bottling, advertising and selling the product.The inner satisfaction felt by a wine maker when he watches the winemature before his eyes is similar to the pleasure felt by a webdesigner when he observes his project evolve.
"Preparationis half the game" in almost every area of life and thoroughlyplanning a website design is absolutely critical for its success. AtCentaurhosting.com (Website DesignCompany India),I have often instructed new web designers to do MUCH more than justviewing competitor websites & template concepts before beginningweb design. In this article we will study the actual important stepsof website design preparation and planning that can result in aninternational standard, user-oriented business website.
1.(Warren Buffett time) The CEO perspective. Read the information /material of the company and interact with their CEO / marketing headto acquire an understanding of their business and website designrequirements. Create what I call a CEO sheet and note down theinformation they give you. What does the company want to achievethrough the website? Which products, services or ideas do they wantto highlight? What about the companys brand image and customerfocus? Naturally a CEO would think about business, more business, yetmore business. While understanding the companys businessperspective do not forget the customers who allow the business toexist. Your website design planning should focus on building anenduring enterprise through the website, not just rapid fortune.
2.(David Ogilvy time) The Advertising perspective. Mental gymnastics isnot effortless but if you have a strong imagination you will be ableto comprehend many focus areas of the companys advertisingdepartment. If possible, meet the Advertising Head. If the companydoes not have a dedicated PR / advertising department try changingthe questions in the CEO sheet from what/which category tohow? Think HOW you can use the website design to increaseawareness of most important products, how to create a goodreputation, how to improve customer perception etc.? Get informationor think up punch lines that hit the customer, banners that catch theeye, special offers etc. Write down all of this on the second websitedesign preparation sheet - Advertising Objectives Sheet.
3.(Chanakya Strategy Time) R & D. Before any website designconcepts begin to take shape in your mind, it is time to do thoroughresearch. Analyze (not view) design and functionality of competitorwebsites to assess their weaknesses and strengths. Look at thenavigation, organization, performance, customer impact etc. andrecord what they are doing well and how you can do it better. Fornoting these points, I suggest that you create your third websitedesign planning sheet titled Competition Analysis. Create atable with features as rows and competitor names as headings. Thenwrite down your views about each feature in the relevant boxes.
4.(Srinivasa Ramanujan style) Dream time: By now your should have someidea about the business objectives and advertising strategies thatyour website design will incorporate. You also know what your websiteis going to be competing against. To avoid analysis paralysis,take a short mental break and indulge in daydreaming. This is thespecial prerogative of website designers being paid to day dreamon the job :) Allow what you have done so far to draw a rough imageof the website in your mind. Imagination is the true measure ofintellect. Dream languidly or even fantasize about your websitedesign till you begin to feel the excitement that indicates you aregetting close to completing your website design preparation. Compareyour dream image with hard business facts and mould the websitedesign mentally.
5.(Common Man Time) Be thy customer. This is perhaps the single mostimportant factor in website design preparation and planning.Customers website experiences not only affect brand satisfactionbut also directly translates into sales. Imagine that you visit thewebsite that you have mentally visualized. Would you feel at homewith its colors, usability, functionality, personalization, level ofdetail, aesthetics, speed and security?
6.Leonardo Da Vinci Time: Mental refinements can only go so far. It istime now to amalgamate the mental imagery more concretely with ourwebsite design planning sheets. I have frequently stressed uponwebsite designers to first draw their concepts on paper with coloredpencils before starting their favorite editing software. It allowsfree expression without constraining your ideas to tool limitations.Draw, redraw and refine your concept. Refer to the CEO, Advertisingand Competitive Analysis sheets frequently. Stop only when you aresatisfied that all the mental exercise you have done in the abovesteps is well reflected in your drawing. Now consider the webdesigning tools that you will need yourself and consult with your webprogramming team regarding scripts, databases and other technicalrequirements of the website. I strongly suggest expanding knowledgeof tools or finding alternate methods rather than completelydistorting your drawn concept due to software limitations. If you tryhard enough the solution will present itself.
7.(Sherlock Holmes Time) Resign: Sherlock himself did play the violinat strange hours and was acutely aware of the power of detachment. Awell-rested free mind is a potent weapon. Let go of all thoughtsrelated to website designing for a while and do something else. Aftera short total break begin designing your website.
Namesof some famous people have been mentioned above for a reason. Themore astute website designer can read about them in free time or on aholiday to acquire insights into requisite perspectives.
Talentfuels passion. Many would be inclined to think that after spending somuch time and energy on website design preparation and planning,would one have enough left for implementing the same. Strange are theneuron pathways. The conscious and sub conscious are both far morepowerful than we comprehend. You will pleasantly surprise yourselfwhen occasionally the entire website design planning takes a fewhours. One last word: Remember to savor and cherish yourcreation when it is complete.