*This is the second installment in our blog series detailing our process for site development*
Your website’s design is a digital red carpet, welcoming visitors to your world. Failing to construct an engaging aesthetic or employ effective design elements for your website can hinder customer engagement and connection with your brand.
A website design evaluation is the critical second step in DOJO Creative’s website audit process. Our thorough assessment allows DOJO Creative designers to gain an understanding of a client’s current site — what works and what doesn’t — and inform their recommendations for any upcoming web design or development projects. This helps to ensure improvements will be tailored to the individual needs of the client from the start.
During the evaluation, DOJO Creative staff will review how well the website’s look and design principles are employed:
- Does it feel modern? Dated?
- Is text legible across different device sizes?
- Is there appropriate white space between elements?
- How does it appear on mobile devices compared to desktop or tablets? (Poorly optimized websites can lead to lower user engagement, higher bounce rates and decreased
Brand Alignment
The evaluation process also includes an analysis of elements that represent the client company’s branding standards, such as logo placement and sizing, color scheme consistency and patterns used on promotional materials. It’s important for staff to consider whether these elements successfully translate from non-digital mediums such as brochures or retail spaces into an online experience for users.
DOJO Creative staff will evaluate how well the brand messaging is communicated in various locations throughout the website. Are call-to-action phrases placed strategically and prominently enough? Does each page/section effectively convey what it needs to without users needing to search too much?
It’s essential during this process that designers ask questions related to design decisions made throughout the build of a website:
- What has been retained that should be altered or removed entirely?
- Why were certain decisions made when building out each page’s components?
- Why are photos placed where they’re located?
- Why were certain fonts chosen over others?
- Why was navigation laid out like this instead of another way?
Asking these questions helps uncover areas where adjustments can be made for a more polished end result.
Design Principles
In addition to assessing aesthetics and branding standards upheld on a current client website, DOJO Creative designers will evaluate which design principles have been employed. Commonly used principles include grid system alignment such as lines, shapes, planes; visual hierarchy such as color blocks manipulation; symmetry/asymmetry; contrast/similarity; rhythm through repetition; three-dimensional effects and imagery placement. All these aspects and more combine to create an effective web presence, appealing to users through visuals while also serving their needs with functionality.
A thorough evaluation of a client’s existing website prior to any redesign efforts is essential as it helps identify both successes and pitfalls of their current setup. By performing this assessment first ahead of any major changes, DOJO Creative staff ensure clients receive results that match goals for success set out at earlier stages in project collaboration.
Is your site feeling outdated? Have a concept or question stirring in your head but you’re not sure where to start? We want to hear about it.
Contact DOJO Creative partner Doug Elder today at 574-276-4998 or doug@letsgodojo.com to schedule a consultation and learn more about our services!