web design Archives - Web with Grits

Choosing a Web Designer

If you are at all like me, you have a tendency to search for information and often get inundated with the many options available. For example, when I want to get a new vehicle, I begin with the size, then I work to reviews, visiting dealers, and putting up with pushy sales persons before I decide on the make, model, and package. All that work takes time. It also requires that I make an effort to think through decisions before I visit a dealership. The same is true when choosing a web designer.

You do a web search, and you immediately get a list of potentials. The list goes on and on and on… So, you take some time to read through some of those listings. You might narrow your search to those nearby. You may spend time asking friends, family, and coworkers. Just like my car buying experience, you will end up with lots of information. But, did you find any indicators that helped you make a decision?

Absolute must have characteristics

There are a few essential web designer characteristics that are a must-have. These could be a deal breaker for you and your website if the person or company you choose does not have the stuff that really matters. Let’s look at the 3 C’s for choosing a web designer.

Client focused

Your web designer should focus on you, the client. Also, the designer should focus on your clients! Your website is there to draw new clients and to support your existing customers. A great web designer will take the time to understand your target audience and to get to know you. These two facets of the project are critical, so the design and web presence are tailored to meet specific needs. You have a particular niche and a targeted audience. The web designer will ask questions about those aspects to learn.

Communication

Your web designer should communicate with you. The conversation will happen by email, phone, instant messaging…however you and the designer set up communication. There is no reason you should be left in the dark about the progress of your new website. Your dialogue should include learning about your business and your clientele. The designer needs to know these things to better support you. There should also be an outline of actions and deliverables. Good communication is necessary from your designer and by yourself.

Collaboration

Your web designer should work with you and include you in the process. Yes, you hired the designer to create a website for you. However, it is your website, and you should be able to have input on the design and content. In fact, you must take on those roles. The designer cannot magically create your content and does not know your audience as you do. Both you and your designer need to work together, which fosters creativity. Keep in mind, though, that you did hire a web designer since you do not have the required web skills. Let the designer user her/his skills and knowledge. At the same time, the web designer should rely on your knowledge and skills about your work, industry, and target audience. Each of you has strengths that contribute to the success of the project.

Other good traits

Now that you have an understanding of the absolute characteristics of a great web designer, other dynamics will be involved. You should also consider these traits when choosing a web designer for your project.

Project focus. A good designer will be able to stay focused on you, your needs, your goals, and the project. Remember that communication, collaboration, and client-focused are must haves? The 3 C’s are part of the project focus and will be a guide to keep you and your designer on track with your project.
No cookie cutters. A big difference between a designer and a great designer is the ability to go beyond the template or cookie cutter mentality. Every web page does have basics. However, special attention to the details makes each project unique. With your help, your designer will be able to create a design that is made just for you specifically. The 3 C’s will help drive this creativity.
Copywriting. A website is a mix of images, colors, fonts, and copy. The words on the page should guide visitors down the page. The layout of text should also lead readers into more depth about your business. Your designer will be able to marry words, images, and other elements when creating your unique website. You designer, though, will likely rely on you to provide the groundwork. Again, it is through collaboration that you bring your knowledge about the industry and your target audience. Through communication and supporting each other, your designer will be better able to assist you, the client.

Ready to choose your web designer?

The 3 C’s of a great web designer are at the core of what I do. Contact me if you want to collaborate on a redesign of your current website, or if you want a new site. I will help you focus on your clients’ needs and will keep the communication lines open, so you are in the know every step of the project. Let’s collaborate!

If not me, then use this information to guide your decision when you want to choose a web designer.

Photo by Matthew Henry from Burst

A website building short history

I found an infographic created by Diana Valeanu, Designmodo. Diana put together, nicely, a website building short history. Her work is amazing.

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The original source is https://designmodo.com/history-website-building/. Created by Diana Valeanu. Thank you, Diana, for the visual message!

Color Blindness Web Design

We all see the world from various perspectives. Some of us may agree with others about things that we see while other people will differ on their viewpoint. The concept of colorblindness creates an entirely different view of the world. Colorblindness and web design is something that many of us probably do not consider. So, what exactly does that mean when you are designing a website? Let’s examine some facts about usability considering color blindness web design.

Color blindness

Approximately 1 of 12 men and 1 of 200 women are colorblind according to the We Are Colorblind organization. Without digging deeply into the scientific aspects, colorblindness is a defect in persons’ retinas that reduces the colors that they see. The three main types of colorblindness reduce viewing of green, red, or blue colors. In other words, if you have a green sight deficiency, you cannot see green completely. What I mean by this is that if you were looking at something that is turquoise and you have a green deficiency in your site you are more likely to see the item as blue or some shade of brown or gray.

Web design

Keeping in mind that your visitors may have color sight deficiencies you should consider how to visually provide images that will not be impacted by the color. Perhaps one of the most common examples would be a line graph where each of the data lines is a distinct color. One line maybe green while a second line is blue. The third line might be red with a fourth line being brown. If someone has a green deficiency, then the brown color will likely take on shades of a blue-red combination or gray-black. A blue deficiency in sight would mean that the brown takes on different shading because of a lack of blue in the color combination. So if you rely entirely on the color scheme to distinguish various points, it is possible that visitors may not be able to recognize what you are explaining.

Let us make this a little more realistic by considering the stoplights that we use within the United States. We know that red is on the top, the second color down will be yellow, while the bottom color down will be green. The top color red means stop. The second color yellow means caution and to slow down or prepare to stop. While the green refers to the driver that it is okay to travel. However, someone with colorblindness may not be able to distinguish the red or green colors. Because of the set order of the colors, the person knows that the lit circle is telling her or him what traffic control to maintain.

Different perspectives

Color is an essential part of web design. We do not need to create monochrome websites. However, we do need to take into consideration the role that color has in our plan and in the information we present. Let’s considered the line graph that I mentioned previously. You can still display the line graph in the various colors. To support those that might have color blindness it is better to include texture for the multiple colors. What that means is the red line may be made of dots. Another track, yellow, might be portrayed by vertical lines of yellow. A blueline could be presented as diagonal lines leaning to the right. Including the simple design elements allows you to have color but also equips you to share your information with someone that is not able to clearly distinguish some colors.

Helpful tools

Colororacle.org has an application that you may download for free. Once installed the Color Oracle applies a filter to your screen enabling you to view what you were designing as if you had a color deficiency. The application is made for Mac, Linux, and Windows. The site also has some design tips as well as a page of useful links.

Trello is an online application that is often used for project management or task management. The Trello company has incorporated a color blind friendly mode which will still use colors but will add the textures we discussed previously; horizontal lines, vertical lines, diagonal lines, wavy lines.

We Are Colorblind organization has a page of examples that are worth checking out.

Color blindness web design

The next time that you are creating information to post on your website, or you are working on a site design project you can keep in mind the impact color has for some of your visitors. When you have this in mind as you are creating your information you are better able to incorporate the needed elements more naturally than if you had to return and make changes after-the-fact. Something simple, such as using texture, can make a big difference in how your visitors gain information from your content and your site. There are many resources that you can find and use. Perhaps the most well-known resource is the W3C. The group works diligently to make technology and its various forms usable and accessible for everyone.

Trello color blindness mode sample

Article: How do the colorblind think and talk about color?

Photo adapted from Sarah Pflug from Burst

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Tag: web design