What is webpage design?

The world’s first website, published in 1991, had a few paragraphs of text on a uniform background with a command line instead of links.

Since that moment, websites have come a long way. Currently, there are more than a billion web resources on the Internet, each of which consists of many visual elements. The process of creating the appearance of websites has become a whole science that includes not only designing the graphical shell but also thinking through navigation, organizing text content, and analyzing user behavior by web design & development companies. This science is called web design.

In this article, we explain in detail what is website design, why it is important, how it works, and much more.

Web design: what is it?

The definition of website design is the process of planning and organizing content intended for the Internet. The appearance of the site as well as its functionality play an important role in promoting your site and attracting and retaining potential users on your platform. Good web design should be aesthetically pleasing, easy to use, and consistent with your brand.

Why is web design so important?

If you think that web design means something secondary and not worth much attention during development, then try a simple test: think about a topic on which you need information, google it and click on the result that indicates the answers you are looking for. How long will it take you to find the information you need on this site? Is it quick and easy or difficult? Is it obvious how to navigate this site and how you can move to another section?

If you find what you are looking for quickly and easily, it means that the site design is well thought out and intuitive. This intuitiveness is the result of several features that make it easier for users to navigate while visiting the site.

Website design is important because it directly affects how long it takes a user to find what they are looking for. If it is complicated and tedious, the user will give up and try to search on another site – and this is a lost opportunity. A good design developed by a website design company, like loungelizard.com, will be easy to understand and navigate, helping potential customers find what they’re looking for while bringing you closer to closing a new deal.

What does good web design look like?

Good web design & development require compliance with the following principles:

1. Simplicity

The look and feel of the site are important. But most visitors do not come to appreciate your stylish design. They come for the information they need.

In terms of usability and UX, simplicity is your friend. And you can apply it in different ways. Here are some examples:

● Colors. Don’t use too many. The Human-Computer Interaction Handbook recommends using a maximum of five colors on a website. Let’s say – plus or minus 2 colors.

● Fonts. Choose legible fonts. Use a maximum of 3 different fonts in a maximum of three sizes.

Graphic objects. Use them only if they help the user to perform an action or perform a specific function. Do not add graphics randomly.

2. Visual hierarchy 

Visual hierarchy implies the layout and organization of site elements in such a way that visitors reach for the main elements first. This principle is closely related to the principle of simplification.

You can adjust the location, color, or size of certain elements so that the site structure itself attracts users to the necessary elements.

The whole optimization of the site comes down to bringing the user to perform the target action in the most comfortable and natural way for him.

3. Navigation 

Intuitive navigation makes visitors understand that they will find what they are looking for. The user should move around the site without thinking about where he needs to click – moving from point A to point B should be as painless as possible.

These tips will help to optimize site navigation:

● The structure of the main sections should be simple and placed closer to the top of the page.

Use a navigation chain on every page except the home page so that visitors know where they are.

● Add a search box at the top of the site so visitors can search by keywords.

Don’t offer too many sections.

Web design: what does not work?

Find out what is website design mistake:

Mistake #1. Stylish, bright, but incomprehensible and inappropriate

This mistake is often made by novice web designers who have taken online courses that did not explain the connection between web design and business. It seems to them that the task is to make it as creative and beautiful as possible. But a designer is not only someone who has great taste and a sense of beauty, but also a specialist with analytical and critical thinking who wants to help the customer to achieve the desired goal. Otherwise, it turns out like this: there are a lot of stylish websites, but only a few of them work and bring profit.

What should be done?

For the design to work, you first need to study the target audience or request this information from the client. Understand what competitors have already done, what works for them and what does not, what potential customers expect, and what design elements they will not appreciate.

Mistake #2. Poorly thought-out navigation

 This happens when a web designer does not know the basics of marketing and does not know how to think through the customer’s path, and it is important to lead the visitor through each block to make a purchase or satisfy another goal of the entrepreneur.

Mistake #3. Lack of free space

Usually under this mistake hides another – ignorance of the basics of composition. Because of this, it turns out that all the objects on the screen are supposedly the main ones and there is no central one among them. This is bad because a person does not know what exactly to look at, and what they want to convey with this design. There is a lot of information in front of the eyes and at first, you can try to disassemble it, and highlight the main thing for yourself, but how many visitors will do this?

How should it be done?

If the problem is a large amount of material and text that the customer asks to place on the site, it is worth critically evaluating it on the part of the client. Do you see that there is a lot of unnecessary information? Do not be afraid to report it and explain your point of view, even if this text was written by the best copywriter.