Web Design Philosophy
Successful design is a balancing act between form and message. When that balance is compromised by generic templates, then design sameness results. Even messages conveying best intentions can come off as dull and insincere.
While our design philosophy has been refined over the years to keep pace with the changing technology, it has also remained fundamentally the same with regard to its objective — encourage customer interaction and maximize the usability of the modern website while reducing the costs due to “recreating the wheel”. Whether design is necessary is not the point. Design is inevitable. The alternative to good design is bad design. Our website design philosophy incorporates four important areas: Principles, Processes, Patterns and Planning all applied in a team environment.
Principles
Principles guide the entire design process. Good website design requires a deep understanding of the customers needs. Evaluating the design often, using rough drafts and then refined prototypes before beginning the production process can eliminate significant rework and provide a solid design that serves the customer well.
Processes
Clear processes guide the flow of the project from beginning to end. Processes define how you put the principles into practice. Consistent processes support key principles of iterative design. The Design - Prototype - Evaluate cycle continues throughout all processes even after the launch. This approach produces the best design, but also increases cost for every cycle. The number of cycles needs to be managed to match the scope of the project. The seven phases that follow form the development process:
Discovery — Understand the customers needs and business goals
Exploration — Generate rough drafts of the website and design specifications
Refinement — Clean up the website navigation, layout and flow
Production — Develop a working prototype and design documentation
Implementation — Place the content and images into the online site
Launch — Deploy the site on a server for actual use
Maintenance — Support the existing website
Patterns
Design patterns are central to Web design because they are so vital to usability. The concept of patterns with respect to architecture and building was established by Christopher Alexander decades ago. Little could he have known that those same concepts would be applied to many other disciplines including Web design. The more consistent design patterns are used on the Web, the better people will understand how to use the Web and how to talk about Web design.
Right Point Web incorporates the concept of design patterns into the design process by providing proven alternative approaches to specific business needs. Consistency of function is important in the Web design process to enable customers to seamlessly, in a user-friendly and intuitive manner, navigate a website and find what they need quickly and efficiently. Design patterns, incorporating the best practices of successful websites, provide the basis for attractive, efficient and cost effective Web design.
The foundational use of patterns in Web development is essential in eliminating the need for new programming. Much work has been done over the years to make Web development easier and more manageable without using a “cookie cutter” template approaches. The use of repeatable design elements and cascading style sheets provide developers with the freedom to focus on content rather than worry about technical design issues, providing a consistent look and feel throughout the site, while enabling changes that affect all pages to be implemented more efficiently and with less chance for error.
Patterns extend this concept further by allowing us to discuss the website from a customer’s point of view using terminology that everyone understands. Button design can affect the ease of use of the site. Fast loading pages may be more important than exceptional graphics. In most cases there are tradeoffs that can be discussed intelligently because of the mutual understanding of the patterns involved. Patterns describe the issue in depth, the rationale for the solution, how to apply the solution, and the trade-offs. Patterns can reflect abstract qualities like value, trust and reliability, which are important in any design philosophy.
Planning
Planning puts principles, processes and patterns into definable milestones with timetables and estimated costs. “No surprises” is the goal of both sides. But, the unexpected will happen occasionally. If you can plan on it you can manage it, especially when everyone works together.
We would like to thank the authors of Design of Sites who eloquently explained many of the concepts I have supported over the years in the software development arena and applied them directly to Web design.
van Duyne, Douglas K., James A. Landay, and Jason I. Hong. The Design of Sites. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2007.
"The Design - Prototype - Evaluate cycle continues throughout all processes even after the launch."
