When was the last time you enjoyed browsing a website? and when do you completed a purchase or a routine task easily and without wasting time?
Web design takes care of that. The easier it is for the user to find what they are looking for, the better the website will perform.
In the previous post entitled “How to organise the content of your website” we took the first step. Because before we start designing the aesthetics of what we see on the web, we have to create its skeleton.
1. What is Word Press?
It is an open source content management system, based on the collaboration of programmers and designers.
WordPress is a project driven by a community that defends free software. We may think that the term free means that it is free, but that is not exactly what it means. It is about lowering costs and encouraging participation.
”The idea behind the open source concept is simple: when programmers (on the Internet) can read, modify and redistribute the source code of a program, it evolves, develops and improves.
Wikipedia.La enciclopedia libre
2. WordPress.com and WordPress.org.
Which one to choose for my project?
It depends on the type of website you need and your computer skills. It also depends on your learning ability if you are going to make and maintain it yourself.
If you want to create it yourself and are willing to learn, I recommend starting with wordpress.com to get familiar with the control panel and the whole process. But if you have no computer skills, no time or if it is a website for a business, the best option is wordpress.org.
WORDPRESS.COM
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WordPress.com. is free of charge, with accommodation included and managed.
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You can choose the domain partially, because your domain extension will be wordpress.com.
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It offers a more user-friendly design but has fewer customisation options.
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You have to pay for a premium package to access more functionalities (plugins).
WORDPRESS.ORG
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WordPress.orgis free, hosting and domain have to be contracted separately.
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You will be able to choose the name and extension of your choice.
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The learning curve is steeper but you will be able to customise the design more.
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There are many free plugins available to create any kind of website.
Once a website has been created, it must be updated regularly to avoid security problems.
Basic web maintenance consists of three parts:
- Updating plugins
- Update on the theme.
- WordPress update.
Plugins are programs that add extra functionality to a website. For example: they can manage the translation of all the content of the website or facilitate the creation of keywords to position the website in search engines (SEO).
Themes are responsible for providing a specific style to the website by default. If we want to customise the website, we must also use some CSS or HTML code.
The WordPress control panel will notify us when we have any of these pending updates.
3. Design the web experience.
Today, it is clear that a website is an interactive digital product. This means that the user’s experience when visiting our website depends a lot on whether they find what they are looking for and therefore a response or what in digital marketing is called a conversion.
The web experience is worked on in two phases:
- An initial design phase focuses on the internals of the website, the organisation of the content and the mechanics of the website, what we don’t see.
- The second phase deals with what we see and perceive, the external part or graphical interface with which we interact.
3.1 Web mechanics. UX.
The invisible part of the web.
The user experience could be said to be in charge of designing the route that the user has to follow to find what he/she is looking for.
It is about structuring the content that our website will have, so that it follows a logical line and as simple as possible. This is the first thing we must do before designing the external part (colours, typographies, shapes…). It is about creating an internal skeleton, which allows it to move according to the decisions taken by the user when visiting the website.
With all the content organised, in the form of diagrams, flowcharts or schematic drawings called wireframes in web design, we can move on to the next phase. The phase of covering the skeleton created with the appearance that will have the interface with which the user will interact.
In the following illustration you can see an example of a wireframe or skeleton under the graphic interface and final appearance of the website.
UI / UX
User Interface Design / User Experience Design
3.2 The graphical interface. UI.
The part we see of the website.
With the structured content we have already built the internal mechanics of our website, now we can surface and start creating the visible part of the website.
We will think about designing it in the simplest and most intuitive way possible, so that our future users do not have to look for the buttons they have to click to go to one section or another.
Aesthetics will be the result of the right combination of form and function.La estética será la resultante de conjugar correctamente la forma y la función.
A well designed user interface is a…
1. Intuitive. It must be easy to use. Usability is the characteristic that makes an interface design intuitive.
2. Clear and Attractive. They go together, because it will not be attractive if there is confusion; the user will prefer an environment where he knows his way around to a strange and disorienting one, however visually attractive it may be.
3. Effective.
Depending on the type of website, the design may have different characteristics. Aesthetics should not be used according to fashions if they are not justified according to a strategy.
”An essential characteristic of good interface design is the harmony of the design with the brand style. In this way the user when browsing a website that is designed according to these parameters never forgets where they are, as each page or window will have a feature that will remind them in some way of the brand.
Cris Busquets.Diseño desde Marte. Manual de diseño de producto digital.Ed. Jardin de monos.
Conclusion:
An efficient website is not just one more of the bunch made with a template and without providing differential value. It will get lost in the search results. Because the famous SEO term that refers to Google results is not worked with plugins or implementing expensive ad plans. If your website does not help users to find what they are looking for and to feel comfortable on it, they will abandon it even if it appears in the first position. In addition to the loading speed, the user experience is essential nowadays to achieve optimal results.
- Don’t make me think. Steve Krug. Ed. Anaya multimedia.
- Design from Mars. Digital product design manual. Cris Busquets. Ed. Jardín de monos.
