website design, optimisation and content

Our website design methodology

Putting function before form: the key to successful website design

Why do some Web designs really work, while others – despite looking superficially good – don’t? (And by ‘work’ we mean that they encourage visitors to look around, they enable visitors to quickly find what they are looking for – and they engender trust, turning visitors into customers.)

Putting function first

The key is to keep design in its place. It’s often glibly stated that ‘content is king’ – by which, people often mean that design is irrelevant. Not so – design is important, but it is there to support the content. It often surprises us, then, that many Web designers will provide initial designs without having fully considered the clients’ requirements. We simply don’t understand this.

For a design to be successful, the function of the website has to be considered first. For us, the starting point of a Web design isn’t a rough sketch or mock-up – it’s a discussion with the client. For larger sites, this discussion can take several hours.

Understanding what a website needs to do

A website should be a unique experience – in the same way that a customer’s visit to your offices would be a unique experience. We work with organisations to understand how their businesses work, the products and services they offers – and what’s distinctive about these. This information literally shapes how the website design itself will be structured – around the priorities of the customer, not the whims of the Web designer.

Working in this way ensures that the website is well thought-out – as well as visually attractive. It balances the needs of the visitors to find information with the needs of the customer to sell its products and services. It’s not a compromise on the design, rather a proven methodology for setting the design brief and establishing a framework for the design.