Before you begin to design your website or hire someone to do it for you, it’s always a good idea to take the time and plan out what you need to incorporate in your web design. You will need to think about your target audience and market, as well as define the purpose and decide exactly what content you will need to include in the website.
Purpose
The first step in planning your website design is to define the exact purpose for your website. This is an extremely important step in the process so it should not be skipped. Your statement on your front page should show the focus of your website and what you want your users and viewers to take away from your website. If you clearly define your purpose then the rest of the planning will be easier. What are your short term and long term goals for your website? If you set these, then your purpose will become clear to you and will help you plan for the future when you will need to expand upon, modify, or improve upon your website.
Audience
Next you will want to define your target audience. This is a step that shouldn’t be skipped. These are the people you want to visit your website – the market you want to target. Knowing and understanding what your visitors want to do or feel when they visit your website will help you identify your target audience. When you take the characteristics of your target audience into account, you will be able to create an effective website that will deliver the desired content to your audience.
Content
Evaluating your content will require that the purpose of your website be very well defined. You will need to gather together a list of the content that will be necessary and organize it to fit your target audience’s needs. This is a key step in planning any web design. While gathering the content you want to display on your website, you will need to discard anything that doesn’t fit or isn’t right for your target audience. Next you will need to decide on the information structure by organizing and categorizing your content to meet your user needs. Each of your categories should be named with a short descriptive title that should become a link on your website. By planning your website’s content you will be ensuring that your audience’s needs are being met and the purpose of your website will be fulfilled.
Compatibility and restrictions
Because of the wide array of browsers on the market today, the compatibility of your website is restricted. For example, a website that is designed for the majority of people who surf the web will be limited to the use of valid XHTML 1.0 Strict or older, CSS Level 1, and a 1024x768 screen resolution. The reason behind this is because IE isn’t fully W3C standards compliant with XHTML 1.1 and the majority of CSS beyond level 1. On the other hand, the people who use an alternative browser, such as Firefox and Opera, are able to view more W3C compliant websites and this allows for a wider range of options for your web designer.
The use of many different image file formats is another restriction on web design. Most users are able to view GIF, JPEG, and PNG files; however, IE doesn’t fully support PNG’s advanced transparency features.
There are many website incompatibilities that go unnoticed by the designers and users. The only way to be completely sure that a website will work on a certain platform is to test it on that platform.
While putting together a website is relatively easy, it can be time consuming. By doing your research and laying the groundwork ahead of time, you will be saving yourself a lot of time and will ensure your website is successful. Have fun with your colors and layout, as you want a website that your visitors will remember in a good way and come back often to visit.
