Website redesign is our wheelhouse. It’s what we do every day for every sort of client you can imagine. From full-on brand blowouts to eCommerce optimizations, we do it all and we do it well.
One of the reasons we’ve been successful as a web redesign agency is our process for executing. Our process is based on over 15 years of web redesign experience and provides a structure for delivering projects our clients love. That’s what’s most important to us. We want our clients to be thrilled every time they present their new site to clients, customers and competitors. Here’s how we make sure it happens.
Research and Discovery
Every project Harlo takes on begins with the brand, understanding who you are, what you do, and why you do it. We believe it’s so important for not only our sake but for our clients as well. Your website is more often than not the welcoming party for your brand, and so should represent what you’re about in every way through visual design, UX/UI design, and content.
We dive deep into who you are as a brand and organization in order to come out with an accurate compass of where to go next. Through interviews, competitive analysis, and metrics we uncover what we refer to as The Four Cs: Company, Category, Customers, and Connections. It’s our structured approach to research and discovery that identifies genuine truths about your brand.
Site Mapping and Architecture
When most people think about a website redesign they focus on the visual or user experience elements that create an engaging site. It’s true they’re important, but before we get there we need to discuss structure and content. Any design studio worth its weight will tell you that content needs to lead design. It’s the blueprint for the story your designs will tell.
At Harlo we begin with site maps, information architecture diagrams, and content outlines to get the story straight. Site maps outline the pages your site will have, while information architecture diagrams show how all the pages will work together. We use your current site’s metrics to uncovers opportunities during a users journey to better convert or educate them. It takes a mix of science and art to get it right.
Setting the Mood (Boards)
Now that we understand your brand goals we can open the flood gates of creative thinking and design. Mood boards are an opportunity for designers to play around with the creative nuggets and ideas our strategist extracted during research and discovery. They gather them all up, shake it around in an Adobe tumbler, and spill out art in the form of themes, color palettes, and inspiration.
Mood boards are a chance for our clients to have creative input as well. We’ll present you with several options for design themes we feel match your brand, but it’s up to you to choose. We’ll guide you through selecting specific elements you like or don’t like, as well as explain our thinking.
Functions and Technologies
The design process for a website is a time-intensive effort. Our designers spend hours experimenting with elements and placements in order to find the right visual and user experience design for your brand. We refer to it as being “in the hole”, since we’re so focused on the tasks at hand. However, when we come back into the sun we’re ready to blow you away with the function of your site.
We’ve recently added this step to our process in order to make sure we’re all on the same page. We use what’s called a Functional Requirments Document (FRD) to outline the functions, usability, and experience users will have on each page. From animations to dropdown menus, it’s all there. We’ll also outline the technologies we’ll use to make it happen so you know exactly what goes into your site. Communication is key in this process, so we make sure to put our cards on the table.
Prototyping and Presentation
Not every design studio will prototype your project, but we feel it’s important that you understand what your users’ experience will be on the platform. Your feedback also helps identify pain points that may have snuck through our design process, as well as ways to remedy the issues. The truth is, the digital experience doesn’t translate to print outs and is even difficult to understand in wireframes. Website redesign prototypes make your site come alive.
With every presentation, from strategy to mood boards and prototypes, we make sure to listen to the comments and feedback you give. Design is an iterative process, but we want development to be a one and done shot. We want to make sure the website redesign we have both put so much time and effort into is perfect before we dig into the code. Let’s create something together that will win the hearts of your customers.
If you want to know more about our creative digital services feel free to contact us here: winhearts@harlointeractive.com
