Website design that relates to people

“The only important thing about design is how it relates to people.” Victor Papanek.

This saying was said a long time ago, but like the best of all speeches and phrases it seems to last for all eternity and becomes more relevant as time progresses.

It’s almost like Victor Papanek has left a simple guide for all designers to start with, and this is even more relevant for a London web agency.

When designing a website for a client, ask yourself, “what is the purpose of this feature?”. If you can’t answer that question, take a step backwards and take a look at the brief again. It’s too easy to get carried away with your creativity and forget what the client wants to achieve from a website. There needs to be a reason for everything that goes on a web page. Anything that is there without a reason becomes clutter, and if your client doesn’t understand the reasoning behind is you could end up dealing with an awkward moment.

Good website design is there to make a connection with the person viewing the website

A design that is refined creates a positive first impression that keeps the visitor captivated. A captivated visitor then makes a decision based on other design aspects of a website, so during the design process, it’s important to keep referring back to the brief and making decisions that tick off the list of targets from the client. As a web designer, you must constantly relate to the target audience by putting yourself in their shoes. How will they react to your design?

1. What is the purpose of the website?

Is it promote a service? Why not include a rotating banner that highlights featured content?

2. Is it easy to navigate?

Is your navigation clear enough for the visitor to see? Are you using banners to influence the user journey?

3. How much information is on the page?

Is there too much content? or is there too little? Breathing space is important so make sure there is a healthy balance of content and space.

4. Is the text easy to read?

Is the font size too big or too small? What about the visually impaired? Are there options that allow the user to invert the colours or increase the size of the font?

5. How will visitors contact the client?

Will it be on site? Leave space for a quick contact form on chosen pages.

The above questions are just a few examples of how you can design while relating to people. It all depends on the target audience, so always read the brief and don’t be scared to get more information from the client for clarity sake. By considering the experience of your client you can then begin to create stunning websites that generate the best results for your client.