The Drawing Board
Discovering Your Audience
Your audience ultimately has the final say on the usability and effectiveness of your website. If they aren’t satisfied or have difficulty navigating your site, then it is your responsibility to work and rework accordingly.
Writing and editing your content should be your first major step. Form should then follow function. This will depend on what you hope to accomplish. If you plan on informing your audience about something, then a straightforward but easy to read layout would best. If you’re creating a portfolio site, you want to make sure visitors can access different works as seamlessly as possible.
To get an idea of what’s been done before, search online for similar sites with similar functions. Having examples is an ideal way to jump start your thought process.
Content
Write as much as you can beforehand. That way, you won’t have several empty pages to deal with as you progress. This will make your design process much easier, as you’ll be able to see how things look on each page. Write out how much content you want to add on each page for an idea of how many sections you'll need to your site.
Design Concept
Next, I would suggest getting paper and pencil to either jot down or draw whatever design ideas you have, (more commonly referred to as wire-framing). This will give your site physical shape. It might also be helpful to poke around online for any designs that catch your attention, regardless of those sites’ functions. What parts of these designs do you like? What can you incorporate into your own? Think of ways to make your site as engaging and unique as possible.
