Sites By Robin Website Design

You Mean It’s Never Finished?

admin — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 18:05:13 +0000

A web presence is always a work in progress. It should never be launched today, forgotten tomorrow. Web development best practices have changed exponentially over the last 10 years … more significantly, over the past 5 years. Which means that web designers/developers are always in learning mode, always in a state of flux, and running hard to keep up. But it’s necessary. Our clients depend upon us to guide and direct them. It’s not good for them and their web presence to ever be behind the 8 ball.

So when meeting with clients, it’s good to advise them of this. What will perfectly fit their needs now may not in 2-3 years. So the solution must flow gracefully to the next phase. Because there will always be one. A next phase.

The Client is King — What Do They Need?

Robin Button — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 20:25:13 +0000

It’s essential that every web project accommodate the client’s needs. Several key questions should be asked prior to beginning development. Such as …

How will the website be maintained? By the client? Realistically … are they willing or able to make routine updates, or would they rather send updates to the web designer? If they want to make updates themselves, how often will this occur? Flesh this out ahead of time. It may be less costly to have the designer make infrequent updates.
Does a CMS make sense, or a static website? Consider Item 1 first. Then, discuss what features the client needs (they may bring up ones that they want … but their practicality should be reviewed).
Consider the client’s budget as well as their future needs. What is delivered to the client today might not completely work a year from now. Their needs could change. Explain why planning for the future of a website is integral to it’s development. Design must occur with change in mind. The design must be separate from the content presentation, utilizing current web design best practices, whether a static or CMS website. Explain this thoroughly to the client. It may mean there are greater upfront costs — but far less cost in the future due to the need for complete redesigns. A website should be as flexible as possible.

The above three issues should drive initial discussion. Only then can you know what direction to take.

Great Artists Steal

Robin Button — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 22:18:40 +0000

I’ve been reading Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs. At one point during his career, he took a new idea developed by Xerox and executed it … with great success. By some, this was viewed as a heist. Jobs himself acknowledged it:

Picasso had a saying—’good artists copy, great artists steal’—and we have always been shameless about stealing great ideas.

We can debate whether Jobs actually stole someone else’s work … or, whether he was inspired to develop his own ideas from it, taking the initiative to “grab the ball and run with it.” This made me think about the ways that I obtain ideas and inspiration.

At some point in our lives, most of us have been inspired by others. One of my pastimes is finding inspiration through others’ web design work. There is a great deal of talent out there, and so many people working countless hours to keep abreast of the latest when it comes to web design. Most are eager to share their cutting-edge discoveries; it’s my job to seek them out. It’s not stealing to be inspired by someone else’s work or accomplishments. Having said that, I will continue seeking out cutting-edge web design techniques, and newer and better solutions to include in my client projects.

What We Don’t Know

Robin Button — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 21:58:58 +0000

Boy. What we don’t know. It would fill a book, wouldn’t it? Unfortunately, many people don’t realize this. Actually, I’ve discovered that the really smart people that I know also realize there is a TON more that they DON’T know. Making assumptions about, or not considering, what our user has or is can have a negative impact on our project outcome.

When it comes to developing websites, we don’t know a ton. This article on css-tricks.com sums it up. Knowing what we don’t know is the first step to developing a successful web presence. Thanks for the reminder.

Often Not Considered

Robin Button — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 02:43:15 +0000

What is often not considered or completely brushed aside? Not a snappy logo, appropriate color scheme, the reason why one would need a website. It’s a well thought-out content strategy.

What is content strategy? It’s considering what content is needed (what your visitors will be looking for, and what YOU want them to find), what type of content it should be, and how it will be maintained. What should be included in the content strategy are how the visitor will interact with your content, and how their needs will be fulfilled. To add even more to the mix, the content should be developed to maximize your website’s search engine “findability.” Developing the content strategy must be first and foremost.

Consider this.

You work hard planning a design “look and feel” and now have a spiffy website. (I will post about this in the future). You believe that the content is all there. You provide a “contact me” link to your email address. A visitor encounters your website, browses the content, and cannot quickly find what they are looking for. This brief and frustrating experience becomes part of your website (and business) brand.

Now consider this.

A website has well thought-out content and a tried and true strategy. A visitor completes an online form, asking to be contacted. Within 24 hours, they are contacted, and they receive a prompt and complete response. Follow-up contact is made to ensure their needs have been met. The visitor returns to the website … again and again. This experience has become part of that business’s brand.

Have a content strategy.

Website Content Strategy Blog