As with any other group of professionals - doctors, lawyers, the military - there is a whole language which means much to them... and little to the rest of the world. While web designers and developers are talking amongst themselves that is fine, but when they have to communicate with their clients it is a different matter entirely. So many times problems occur when ideas and realities are poorly explained and not fully understood, leading to disappointment and worse when the final products are delivered.
Here at Deep Blue Sky we understand this as well as anybody and make strenuous efforts to ensure that our clients are not bamboozled by terminology and understand their options and - in simple terms - the complexities of their websites.
Simple or Complex?
Given that every website the world over occupies the same amount of space on a user’s screen - be it a laptop, tablet or smartphone screen - it is not entirely unreasonable for a lay person to assume they are all more or less the same behind the scenes too. Reasonable but, I’m afraid, unrealistic. Many times - and I’m sure we’re not alone - we have been asked to produce something that “looks like Facebook” or has a search facility that “works like Google”. With time and budget we could of course endeavour to meet the client’s aims, but sadly the budget seldom stretches that far so we have to explain, as this article does, why aspirations sometimes have to be realigned.
It’s not all one-way traffic however. Many is the time when a seemingly complex request (to the client) is in fact relatively easy to implement, often because of a carefully thought out design during the early stages of a project, or a powerful framework underpinning a website such as the purpose-built Spirit Framework that we utilise here at Deep Blue Sky.
In this article we will start with a few terms that you are likely to hear in the early stages of working with a Digital Agency whether for design-only work or an implementation of a newly-built or redesigned website. Subsequent articles will introduce other terms such that by the end of this series you’ll have a much clearer understanding.
The Designing Journey
Here at Deep Blue Sky we following a tried-and-trusted strategy for turning ideas in a client’s head into a working design. Along the way you will hear us speaking about the following
Moodboards
Moodboards are collections that consist of a combination of fonts, image samples, colours swatches and styles, and certain components such as menus and buttons to illustrate visually the general feel of the website under construction. These aspects can then be discussed and agreed between client and designer without getting distracted with the layout and ordering which relate to the function of the website, as discussed with wireframes (see below)
Wireframes
Wireframes are design-free sketches of the website confined by the restrictions of device size, capability and so forth, and describe the layout and structure of a website, indicating what is shown in each section, and where, relative to other items on screen. They deliberately don't look as pretty as a fully-designed site since visual design elements can distract from the layout and function of the website. For example, they may use Comic Sans font so as not to suggest the final font. They may use nonsensical text to avoid suggesting the final wording. The purpose of the wireframes are to describe the functional aspects of the key sections of a website, not it’s visual elements which have been illustrated in the moodboards (see above).
Greyscreens, or Interactive Wireframes
Where wireframes are static representations of sections of a website, they cannot convey the interactions that take place on a website, and the journey that users take as they navigate through a website to carry out certain actions. This is where a greyscreen rendition of a website comes into its own. These may also be known as “interactive wireframes” since the wireframes have effectively been transposed onto a basic website that allows you to navigate menus, click buttons, and simulate data entry and retrieval.
While there is still no visual design applied to these screens they should be just as comprehensible and usable as the completed website. Think of it as a website without a skin, or with its colourful clothing removed.
Summary
That’s enough for one article. If you understand these terms and the reasons for taking these steps through the design process you will be well prepared for the next steps. From the start of the journey to the final design, these discrete steps allow you to move in an efficient way without too much repetition or moving round in circles getting nowhere.
Want to know more
Deep Blue Sky provide a range of services from pure web design to bespoke development, incorporating hosting and support, business systems, digital consultancy and successful marketing automation as outlined in this article.
If you would like to discuss a design project or any of the other services we provide please contact us online or call 01225 444674.
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