From a [web] foundation, all other features are built.

 In today's age, we trust ourselves to make smart, informed decisions and much of the information we use to justify our decisions is found online.  We compare, contrast, rate, and review almost everything we buy before we buy it.  Many people are looking to save money and confirm their purchasing decisions using online research and this means your website is under more scrutiny than ever before. 

 

Today's successful businesses have a strong web presence.  This means the website has a good feature set, ease of use, and utilizes best practices.  Your web presence is a first impression to potential new clients, customers, and buyers.  The layout, colors, style and features must align with your personality or the personality of your business. 

 

Good web design is to reverse engineer human behavior.  Design patterns are blueprints for a solution to a particular problem domain.  A problem domain is a scenario which is known for having certain issues or complexities that repeat.  For example, if a focus group is held to review a purchasing workflow on a website and the majority of the group struggles with the checkout process, this could be considered a problem domain for that particular website.  Typically, a problem domain is further reaching than a specific website or company and can expand to a known industry issue. 

 

Design patterns can be used to solve software engineering issues for the backend functions of complex web applications.  For the customer facing design such as the website interface layout, design patterns are sometimes called "interaction frameworks".  They are given this name since they deal with the layout or framework for a user interacting with the website.  There are many frameworks to choose from and each framework can be assembled to create an entire online system.  Which frameworks to use and how to dovetail multiple frameworks to create a cohesive system, is the job of a professional and experienced web designer. 

 

Most professional websites start with wireframing.  Wireframing is the assembly of interaction frameworks to create the entire flow of the system prior to any graphic design work.  This process is akin to developing a blueprint for a house, and the framing that occurs prior to the shingles, bricks or vinyl siding that makes up the exterior of the house.  The layout and flow of the house is one of the most important design considerations.  The ways in which the doors swing, and the placement of the walls and adjoining rooms are all very important factors for use.  Factors such as flow, content placement, and navigation are considered for a professional website. 

 

The next time you are interviewing a web designer or developer to build your website which has the critical responsibility of providing a stellar first impression, ask what interaction frameworks they use and what their experience level is with design patterns. 

Posted via email from Thrive's posterous