It's essential for business today to have an online presence, yet too many companies spend thousands of dollars on websites and apps only to find out later that their goals aren’t being met and their business hasn’t grown as expected.
As many of the designs I create are websites and apps, I've put together a step-by-step guide to give some insight into my strategic design process. I work to identify the business goals behind a project and deliver a solution that not only looks great but helps the business grow.
Conducting a strategy session is one of the most important parts of any project. During this phase, I'll collaborate with the client to create a strategic plan that outlines the scope of the project and how we'll define and meet specific goals and objectives.
During this strategy phase, I’ll also have the opportunity to learn more about the client and how their business works so that I can become a partner who provides value beyond the design process.
An excellent user experience is the driving force behind the success of any product or service. My goal during this UX phase is to establish a clear and intuitive experience that will lead users to accomplish the tasks deemed most important and relevant during the strategy phase.
It doesn’t matter what a product looks like if people don’t know how to interact with it. That’s why the wireframes (website sketches) I create will not focus on color, imagery, or typography, but instead focus on hierarchy, content layout, spatial and page relationships, and the product architecture.
Interface design exists to encourage interactions, manage expectations, and enable users. My goal during this UI phase is to further enhance the user experience through visual design. My focus will be on improving the user experience by adding color, imagery, and typography to implement a consistent look and feel across the product, platform, or service being designed.
Once the design is complete, I can also ensure it makes a smooth transition into the hands of a development team for accurate and successful implementation.
Development is the successful and accurate implementation of the UI & UX design. My goal during the development phase is to accurately and successfully implement the designs through code by either coding the website myself or working with developers.
I’m proficient with HTML & CSS, having recently completed a course in front-end web development at the Flatiron School. For websites that are smaller and simpler in scope, like landing pages or informational websites, I typically work with the web platforms Squarespace or Wordpress. For more complex sites, I work closely with developers to ensure the designs I create are executed perfectly.