Website design has become a much sorted after profession in Kenya today. Everyone in the business world now understands the benefits of creating an online presence for their business, since research shows more people now spend a lot of their time on the internet. What better way to tell people about your business than taking it right where they are? This is where website design comes in because creating an online presence does good for any business/organization whatsoever; as long as the website remains interactive.

The steps of Website Design in Kenya

Designing a website is a step by step process from inception through to the finished product. Below are some of the steps followed when designing a responsive website:

Website Architecture

The first step of web design is the site architecture. This involves setting up the sitemap and wire frames of the site pages. The designer creates a sitemap keeping in mind all the key pages in the site and showing the relationship they have with each other. This is also the point where the overall navigation of the site is structured. This is to ensure that the end user has an easy time navigating through the site.

Visual Design

After the site architecture, the blueprint of the site is defined by creating a visual style. The visual style is determined by the visual brand of the organization as well as its goals. The visual brand is the most important part of web design because it is the only way an organization uses to convey its ideas within the design. Visuals also speak much more than words, therefore, the visual must be interactive, captivating and interesting.

Website Development

The visual design created, known professionally as the look and feel, needs approval before development begins. Website development is literally putting flesh onto the bones that is, the pages of the website. This is where the pages are developed, new content is inserted, old content is revised, videos, podcasts and any other form of media is used on the website to pass a given information. This is also the stage where the HTML and CSS are built on the site.

Website Testing

Website testing is one of the final stages of designing a website. Before the launching of the website in question, it is usually placed on a server where only the developers and a few people who have the link can access it. This is a critical stage because it will determine whether the site still needs more work or it should be launched. This is also the stage where mistakes are identified and corrected.

Launch

Launching the site is normally the crowning moment for website design. The site has been designed, developed, tested, reviewed and approved. The launching of the site in design language is hosting. The web designers and developers are normally advised to be ready for any feedback from users who still have to get accustomed to the new site. They also need to be ready to correct some mistakes on the site like fixing broken links.

Websites are living, breathing entities and need constant care and maintenance. Designing a website has all these incorporated. After building and launching a website, there is usually the process of site maintenance where new content is updated periodically, broken links are fixed and changes to the back-end are made regularly.