A typical web design process

A typical process for creating a new website has several steps from analyzing the requirements to hosting and successfully going live.

80% of the work of a successful web design project begins even before the actual design of the website. The decisions you make at the beginning when planning the new website form the basis of all future results.

Here is a list of the most important steps:

1. target definition and requirements analysis

Every successful website begins with a clear objective. In this phase, an intensive discussion takes place with the customer and the web designer to understand the requirements, goals and target groups. Questions that are clarified in the process:

• What is the main objective of the website (e.g. information, sales, portfolio)?

• Who is the target group?

• Are there already brand guidelines (logos, colors, fonts)?

• What content and functions are required (blog, store, contact form)?

2. research and planning

This is about gathering inspiration and planning the website structure. Typical tasks in this phase:

• Competitor analysis: What are the strengths and weaknesses of comparable websites?

• Moodboard: Compilation of colors, styles and layouts that match the brand.

• Sitemap: A visual representation of the website structure. It shows how the individual pages are connected to each other.

3. collect your materials

Now is also the time to start collecting materials for your website. Anything you can provide will help with the design and planning of the website. This includes, but is not limited to, existing web content, brochures, sales sheets, marketing materials, product specifications, images, videos and anything else that will help me understand your business and goals.

4. content strategy and information architecture

Developing a well-thought-out content strategy and information architecture is a crucial step in the web design process. Both aspects ensure that the content of the website is not only well organized, but also specifically tailored to the target group and their needs.

If the planned website is very extensive, I also recommend the following points in this phase:

• Wireframes that show which functions, pages and content elements will be included and how the flow of the page should work

• Page architecture, which is a more detailed version of the sitemap and shows all pages, processes and forms of the website

• Process flows, this planning is required for the functions on the pages and for individual processes (login, search, etc.)

• Use cases that convey specific information about online processes and features (who will complete this process or form, what happens if they don't enter the correct information, what happens if they forget their password, what page will they be redirected to when they click submit, who will be notified internally and how).

5. draft and design phase

Now it gets creative: the content is transformed into a visually appealing layout. The CI, colors, typography, images and graphics are incorporated. Aspects that are taken into account in this phase:

• Responsive design: The website should look good on different devices (desktop, tablet, smartphone).

• Usability: The focus is on user-friendliness.

• Brand coherence: The design must match the identity of the brand.

6. detailed design and page structure

Based on the final approved design, all further pages for the new website are created. The page architecture, any wireframes, use cases and/or process flows are taken into account here

7. quality assurance and tests

Before the website goes live, it is thoroughly tested:

• Technical testing: Checking loading times, responsive behavior and freedom from errors.

• Content testing: Checking spelling, image quality and links.

• User feedback: Testing by users or customers to uncover weaknesses.

• SEO basics: Setting up meta tags, alt texts and sitemap.

• Analytics: Integration of tools such as Google Analytics to track website traffic.

10. website goes "live

Once all tests have been completed without any errors, the website can go live for the public.

11 Ongoing maintenance and further development

The process is not complete after the launch. Regular maintenance is crucial to keep the website up-to-date and secure.

• Updates: Updating software, plugins and content.

• Analysis: Review of website performance and optimization based on the collected data.

• Further development: Adding new functions or adjustments based on user feedback.