Washington, DC, Web Design
Web Design is constantly changing. Trends come and go so quickly that it can be hard to keep up. Modern responsive web design needs to be paired with a User Experience and User Interface (UX/UI Design) strategy to ensure the design is a success.
User Experience
User experience (UX) refers to a user’s interaction with a website. User experience is the way the user feels as they navigate a site. User experience design includes user research, usability testing, and design considerations for accessibility, information, and ease of use. Moreover, user research involves understanding the user’s needs and requirements.
User interfaces need to be user-centric, as users can only navigate a site if they feel comfortable using it. A good UX should provide ease of navigation, information, and communication. These are all hallmarks of effective web design.
User experience on a website is also based on the knowledge and understanding of the website’s visitors. User experience on a website is also further determined by the website’s content and structure.
User Experience Research
User experience research is interdependent and broad in its approach. It is conducted based on determinations of usability and information architecture. User experience research is undertaken to find out how visitors find information on a website, what they think about the website, and what they expect the website to do. Research is then conducted to determine the goals, strategies, and objectives of the website content and how the user navigates the website.
User-Centered Design
User experience is also based on user-centered design. User-centered design is all about creating a site that’s easy to use. It makes the user’s first steps easy and then provides further ease of use in future pages.
User-centered design provides information and makes it easy for users to understand, which in turn helps them make informed decisions. A website’s design should be user-centric in all aspects and should use a logical approach with clear language. It should make users easily navigate the website to get where they want to go.
Web Design: Communication Between Users and the Site
Web design is also based on communication between users and the website. Good design includes creating a conversation with the user, who becomes an active participant in the website, rather than simply the passive recipient of a message. Web design helps generate a visually appealing experience to visitors, allowing the visitor to get a feeling of belonging and value.
Good web design is further based on a philosophy of open development and community involvement. Open development includes developing a website in order to make it easier and more usable for visitors. Web designers develop and contribute content that makes browsing, reading, and other activities on the website easier and more fun.
Web Design: Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Effective web design is also based on developing a website that supports and increases the site’s ranking and traffic through established and ethical digital marketing strategies. Web designers actively use SEO in order to make their site more visible, popular, and easy to find.
Digital marketing is crucial because the user-centered design includes designing a website so that it can easily be found by the user. This means designing a website that is easy to find, read, navigate, follow, and share with others.
When it comes to web design, there is no one right answer. It is important to remember that website design is a complex process and should be approached with care and consideration. While many designers spend years working on their website, others have learned that the real key to success is in developing a website that is aesthetically pleasing, nails digital marketing elements, and is functional.
A website is the final output of a web design. The website sits on a server where electronic files are stored. The site presents the contents and interactive features or interfaces to the end-user in the form of web pages. How the information requested is displayed to the user is part of the web design process. Additional controls are embedded in order to display more complex media like animations, sounds, and other forms.
Web Design and the Cloud
Cloud-based computing has revolutionized the internet in that complex programs and longer file formats can be easily stored and retrieved from cloud-based platforms. It is essential that the web developer is up to date on these technologies and can seamlessly integrate them into your site.
CSS Templates
CSS is an important coding structure for sites, especially blogs.
If you are like most people out there who don’t know CSS and have the time, or care, on how to do one for your blog, then the next action for you would be to find a place where you can download one.
Poor Web Design
There are some features that can really diminish the overall concept and effectiveness of your web design. It is important to take notice of the most common mistakes web designers commit:
- Backgrounds that are gray in color by default present many problems, most especially with the page’s readability.
- Avoid color combinations that can render the characters unreadable.
- Backgrounds are most effective when they are left simple and do not interfere with reading. Texts must be readable.
- Avoid small characters.
Washington DC Web Designers
Top Shelf Design is an experienced web design agency that has been building modern, responsive custom WordPress websites for over 18 years. Our graphic designers work with you and your organization to build your digital aesthetic and bring it to all of today’s myriad devices. Big or small, your website will have all the online tools that you need to take your web presence to the next level.
Our web design company offers state-of-the-art hosting on Managed Virtual Private Servers (Managed VPS) that are monitored 24/7 with daily backups, SSL encryption, tech support via chat, and much more. Hosting with us is a turnkey solution – leaving your website hosting with us allows you to focus on your mission.
Our Design Process
Making and managing a website is a complex process. Nowadays, with the use of different devices, the website needs to run seamlessly on all types of screens, not just the traditional “desktop-only.” After gauging our clients’ requirements, we have carefully constructed a process that helps manage different processes efficiently, meet deadlines, and still deliver on expectations. Here are the main stages that we stick to while coming up with a brilliant web design:
Learning About your Business
Our team understands your business, customers, operations, and how establishing a digital presence can help stakeholders to engage with your business. We also take a close look at your top competitors and the industry in which your business functions. We then start curating a list that are must-haves for your website.
Keyword Research
Without SEO, your website would be lost among the millions of pages that go live every day. Keyword research helps target your customers searching for your business and helps you rank higher in search engines.
Sitemap
At this stage, we start discussing the layout of the website and related content. After visuals and designing, the next thing that hooks the visitors is what you have written on the website. It needs to be crisp, engaging, should tell your story and what your visitors will get from your business.
Design
We start the web design process for each page, ensuring every piece of vital information finds its way onto the website. Our team ensures that there is constant communication between our clients and our professionals. We don’t believe in scary surprise as far as the unveiling of a website is concerned.
Development
After the client has signed off on the design, we begin the work of making your vision a reality. We turn our designs into functional web pages and prepare them for the launch.
Launch
We start prepping for the launch, ensuring that everything is running smoothly and the transition to a live website is without any major hiccups.
Upkeep and Maintenance
As much work it is to make a website, our team does not just stop after the page goes live. Constant maintenance and analysis are required to ensure that website is performing well and is ranking consistently. We also give pointers to your staff so that they can make changes as needed and add on content without disturbing the design and template of the website. This ensures that the website remains updated and always reflects your business’s correct information.
Top Shelf Design always undertakes special efforts to ensure that we deliver affordable and high-quality designs that help put your business on the radar and a step ahead of the competition.
Our Commitment to Service
Our company is a leader when it comes to web design in Washington DC; we’re constantly adapting to changing design styles to ensure that our work is always up to date, innovative, and cutting edge. We care about your requirements along with the final product and that is a major reason why we strive for open and clear communication with our clients. Effective communication and proven strategies, mixed with our wealth of experience, ensure that you’re getting a new site that is second to none. We perform extensive testing on your site before it launches so that it runs on all cylinders without any missed glitches or bugs.
When you’re looking for web design, Washington DC has many companies that you could choose from. Our web design company stands out from the rest because we guarantee that our work will be completed on time. We understand the importance of deadlines and therefore have vowed to never miss one or deliver a finished product late. This is just another reason why working with Top Shelf Design is the right choice for a successful project. Our track record is phenomenal and we’ve maintained this great level of service without compromising quality or functionality. We want you to feel comfortable and be confident that you’ve made the right choice.
