Spring into Web design solutions with Kiswebs

Web Design in Glasgow, Scotland, and UK

What is meant by website design ? Some people talk about web site development, or web solutions, or e-commerce etc etc etc....however what is the real meaning of website design ? And what is involved.

Website Design process

Kiswebs follow a simple and easy process when developing or designing your website. Prior to our first meeting we gather as much information on your business as possible by looking at your existing website ( if you have one ) and also coming to your premises to get a better understanding of what you do and how you do it. The most important part of the website design and development process happens at the first meeting. This is where we look at your ideas and what you are trying to achieve through your website and to discuss how we see the web helping you achieve those goals. We are experts at what we do but not on what you do - this is why the initial design meetings are very important.

Your Web Goals and Objectives

On establishing your goals and objectives we then produce a process plan that clearly outlines what the responsibilities are to the project together with timeframes and key dates. This means that it is easy to keep the project on track and motivate everyone towards achieving the goals on time and on budget. Without this, people can get caught up in their day to day tasks and the website design project can drag on longer than necessary.

The Website Design Phase

Whether or not a website design looks great is a very subjective thing, but there are right and wrong things that should be taken into account. All too often we see great looking websites on the internet that are a complete waste of time for the business. There is no point in having a stunning website that adds no value to the site visitor. Keeping a focus on what the goals and ambitions of a business are should always be at the top of the priority list when designing a business website - not the ego of the designer.

Various design and development stages happen dependent on the complexity of the website and its content management solution if it has one. Various meetings either online or face to face help make sure the project remains on track and suitable to the needs of your business.

Website Testing & Training

One of the most important stages of any website development project is to fully test the site's functionality. Your web pages visible on the internet should be tested and fully compliant with current laws and design standards, and if relevant, the same will apply to the back end area of your website. Once testing has been completed, there may be a training requirement for you or your staff. This is usually completed on your premises although if required, your training can take place at our office.

Want to find out more ?

Call us on 0141 332 7144 or alternatively contact us through our online contact form.

Website Accessibility Issues

Unfortunately most web designers and developers are still not paying enough attention to the law concerning Accessibility on the web. Ultimately the responsibility lies with the client to make sure that your website conforms to the law that states your website MUST be accessible to everyone. But what does this actually mean ? How do you go about doing this ? And what are the implications if you do not do this ?

First things first - it really is quite simple - your website MUST be accessible. If it isn't you are breaking the law and are possibly subject to prosecution.

How do you make sure your website is accessible ? Well you could read through the huge list of recommendations setout by the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium ) and try and meet Level 1, 2, & 3, or alternatively utilise the experience and knowledge of a web development company such as Kiswebs, who on certain projects also commission an independent web accessibility company to check that the websites conform to all relevant laws.

Website Usability

Making sure people with disabilities can browse websites is very important but equally important is making sure that the way a website is used generally is easy for site visitors. It is imperative that the website navigation is simple in structure so that people do not get lost or confused. Always use simple text descriptions for your navigation links - do NOT use icons without words explaining what the icons mean. Do NOT assume people know what the icons mean - they don't have time to try and figure it out

Part of usability is also making the website appear pleasant on the eye and the use of images can certainly assist with this, as long as the images are relevant to the page content and also add something visual to the page.

Kiswebs subscribe to the online photo library www.photos.com and we can use any of these images on our clients websites as part of the design and development fee.