In January to February 2020, 96% of households in Great Britain had website and internet access, up from 93% in 2019 and 57% in 2006 when comparable records began. – Office of National Statistics.
These statistics were released before… well, everything this year. It will be interesting to see how these have changed with the uptick in businesses moving online. But, it is safe to say, a good majority of the UK is online, and consuming more and more digital information in a variety of ways.
As a business it is becoming increasingly important to have a website. But not just any website – one that works well, is clear and inviting, and well-designed. After all, with the number of options we have online, what will convince a consumer to stay and read on if the site is hard to use? Its all about the website design.
How Do I Design a User Friendly Website?
Great question. In other blogs we have talked about how necessary it is to be accessible, and what data goes into design decision making.
But how do you design a website? This may sound obvious, but the first thing is purpose. Knowing exactly what you want to say is imperative in web design. Anything that clouds that information runs the risk of turning people away. It doesn’t matter how pretty the site looks, if it doesn’t tell anyone what it’s for they’re just not going to use it.
Okay, I Know What I’m Saying/Selling/Organising, What Next?
This all ties into brand identity; knowing not just your purpose, but how you present that to people in tone of voice, colours etc.
Once you have all of that down you can look at building a site to showcase it. There is a lot of design software available, but really all you need is a solid idea of your structure to start sketching something out.
Blackboxing – the practice of lining out the pages in plain boxes to plan layouts. This method is extremely helpful in creating a skeleton you can flesh out. Once you have the basics, it is a case of compiling everything in the website build – something a web development agency could help you with.
What to Consider When Designing a Website
With web development, it is a good idea to look at the user experience of similar fields. What do people expect from this type of site? Is your site going to sell something? How do you want this to work? Ecommerce website developers can advise or assist with building your online shop.
As well as this, finding what kind of design appeals to you is incredibly important. You have to like your site and it has to be useable, otherwise why would anyone stay? Collecting this information will help you get a more solid an idea of your site, and it will begin to take shape.
Achieve Your Web Design Goals
Creating a website that is SEO-friendly, mobile optimised and up to date on current design practices, as well as being modern and appealing is an interesting tightrope to walk. At Damteq this is something we do from start to finish, and we’re happy to help at each step along the way.
Contact us for more information on our web design services, or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for real-time industry updates on key topics including web development, PPC management, and professional SEO services.
