One of the most important aspects of web design is the consultation. This is so clients always know what their options are and what to expect. It is also the opportunity to see professionals who are engrossed in the latest design techniques and the technology behind it.
We have found that clients appreciate being informed and having their questions answered immediately. It is also important that clients know what the implications are of having a website in addition to everything that a website can do for the business’s bottom lines. Here are some things to know about web design:
- It’s not an Internet brochure – The online presence of a business is becoming its most critical asset and the website is the key component of that presence. This means it needs contain a strategic network of connections to social media and other websites that can provide relevant resources. Websites should also provide visitors with the opportunity to interact and create a dialogue.
- Design is based on user experience – When building a website, the navigation may consist of 20 pages, but the website may have 200. The reason is because there only needs to be doors to get to the rooms and then rooms can lead to even more rooms. By considering user experience, the website is not overwhelming, yet it contains a great deal of resources.
- Responsive web design does have ramifications – Responsive Web Design allows the website to be efficiently navigated and viewed on different devices with screens of varying size. Clients expect the ability for users to view the site from multiple devices, but what they don’t usually expect is that some concessions have to be made in the design. Text and images must be able to reposition themselves, which is why it is sometimes still beneficial for a separate mobile site to be created.
- People must be accommodated – It is important that individuals with different abilities are able to use the site. In other words, the site should have ALT text embedded within the images so that audible readers know what the image is. The TAB and arrow keys should also be sufficient enough to navigate the site if the user doesn’t have a mouse available.
- Large images aren’t always the best – Because individuals use their smart phones to navigate the Internet, having the extremely large images may not always be best. Large images are sometimes unavoidable in the design, but it is best not to use them if they are. The reason is because large images take bandwidth to download and that can be expensive for the smart phone user.
It can be very tempting to want certain things, but it is important to understand how they can affect the design. That way the alternatives can be considered so that you can have the web presence that you need and deserve for your business.
