Ulyssa.Johnson1
Web Site Design
Phase 5 Discussion Board
Course: EM208-1303B-11
September 18, 2013

• You have been asked by a small business in your area to build a web site for their business (which they are willing to pay you for). Explain the approach you will take to planning (learning about their web site needs) through the design and coding of this web project.

During phases 2, 3 and 4 we talked about how important color, typography and the navigation through a site. I spoke about how colors affect a person’s mood and emotions, how using certain typography styles can turn a customer away because it’s frustrating to read also, an excessive amount of navigation buttons could cause the visitor of the site to miss the actual meat and potatoes of said site.
When meeting with a potential client to design a web site, I would keep this information in the back of my mind and pass it on to the client if needed. My first question would be how much are you willing to spend? I know that sounds a little harsh but, by their response I can determine if the client wants a site with bells, whistles, 3D graphics and videos to sell their products or a simple quality site that will sell their products too.
Then, I would find out what message did the client want to convey on their site. For example, even though it is a small business, do they want to portray a big business establishment or just a local hometown business feel. I would ask which products and services they wanted to showcase on their site. I would also want to know the demographics that use their products. I think demographics is important when building a website too. A website is a marketing tool just like a radio ads, TV commercial and billboards. You would not hear a radio ad for Bass Pro on a hard rock radio station nor would you see an ad for Dark and Lovely Crème relaxer on PBS.
After gathering all the pertinent information, I would design a site based on the information I received from the client and the knowledge I have on what makes a site successful, and then present it to the client.
Building a website has to be a partnership between the designer and the client. The client will tell you what they want but, if client’s vision is different than the designer’s, the designer must explain why they chose the colors, the typography and the amount of navigation. The average small business owner may not understand why webpages should follow certain protocol if they are to be successful.