Green Orb Web Design

Design and Planning

The Design and Planning stage is crucial for laying a solid foundation for your website. This phase ensures that the website’s structure, aesthetics, and functionality align perfectly with your business goals and user expectations. The process includes several key activities:

1. Sitemap Development

To outline the structure and hierarchy of the website’s pages.

• Information Architecture: Organizing the content and pages of the website in a logical manner to ensure easy navigation and a positive user experience.
• Sitemap Creation: Creating a visual sitemap that outlines the main sections of the website and how they interrelate. This helps in visualizing the overall structure before any design work begins.

2. Wireframing

To create a blueprint of the website’s layout and functionality.

• Low-Fidelity Wireframes: Developing basic wireframes that outline the placement of elements on each page (e.g., headers, footers, content areas, images, buttons). This helps in focusing on layout without getting distracted by design details.
• User Flow Diagrams: Mapping out user journeys to ensure the navigation paths are intuitive and logical. This includes defining how users will interact with different elements and how they will navigate through the site.

3. Mood Boards and Style Guides

To define the visual direction, including color schemes, typography, and imagery.

• Mood Boards: Creating mood boards that capture the desired look and feel of the website. These boards compile colors, fonts, images, and other visual elements that will guide the design process.
• Style Guides: Developing a comprehensive style guide that includes specifications for colors, typography, imagery, icons, and other design elements. This ensures consistency across all parts of the website.

4. Design Mockups

To create high-fidelity visual representations of key pages.

• Home Page Mockup: Designing a detailed mockup of the home page, which often sets the tone for the rest of the site. This includes all visual elements, layouts, and interactions.
• Key Page Mockups: Designing mockups for other important pages such as the About, Services, Product, Contact, and Blog pages. Each mockup will incorporate the brand’s visual identity and follow the style guide.
• Responsive Design: Ensuring that mockups are created for various screen sizes (desktop, tablet, mobile) to guarantee a seamless experience across all devices.

5. Prototyping

To create interactive prototypes that simulate the user experience.

• Interactive Prototypes: Developing clickable prototypes. These prototypes allow interaction with the design and provide feedback on the user experience.
• Usability Testing: Conducting initial usability tests with the prototypes to identify any issues with navigation, layout, or interactions. Feedback from these tests will be used to refine the design.

6. Client Feedback and Revisions

To ensure the design meets client expectations and requirements.

• Design Presentation: Presenting the design mockups and prototypes to the client for review. This includes explaining design choices and how they align with the project goals.
• Feedback Collection: Gathering detailed feedback from the client and stakeholders. This may involve multiple rounds of revisions to refine the design and address any concerns.
• Final Approval: Securing final approval of the design before moving on to the development phase. This ensures that all parties are aligned and satisfied with the proposed design.

Deliverables

By the end of the Design and Planning stage, you will have:

• A comprehensive sitemap outlining the website’s structure.
• Detailed wireframes for key pages.
• Mood boards and a style guide defining the visual identity.
• High-fidelity mockups of the home page and key internal pages.
• Interactive prototypes for usability testing.
• Client-approved designs ready for development.