Forum Moderators: phranque
I have several sites that need to be redesigned from the ground up. The general subject area will stay the same. The content will be updated. And the designs ... the current designs need to be nuked and I need to start fresh. So really, I’m talking:
I think I’m experiencing a severe case of Usability and SEO Information Overload, though, and I don’t know where to start!
So far, here are the steps I’ve taken:
And I have nothing to show for my efforts!
I see so many poorly designed, hard-to-use sites in my space that it’s easy for me to say, "See that? That is what I don't want." But when it comes down to it, I don't have any inspiration for what I do want.
So where do you start, when you’re ready to design a new site? How do you keep things fresh and exciting, without reinventing the wheel? How do you design a new site to make it both (a) familiar and usable to your audience, and (b) more than just a rehash of something that was inadequate to begin with?
Give me a site already built and I'll tell you what's wrong with it and how to fix it. But building a site from the ground-up, incorporating all of the best practices? I need inspiration!
I totally identify with you - I have faced similar problems too...It's a situation where in there's so much you want to do but just don't know where to begin or how to proceed....But 1 good way can be to make a list of all the sites you like or have liked for their design, color scheme etc...and then go over each one of them and get some inspiration.....that can be a good way to start.....
I know it's easier said than done..but we all go through this creative block once in a while....So hang in there!
Hope this helps :))
Try thinking about the design requirements. For example, will its end user want a literary look (books and reading stuff), or a television based look and feel.?
Or a techy look. Or a minimalist look for trendy and savvy.
What is the look and feel you need for your user?
Hawkgirl, I know the feeling of being bored with maintaining client sites. (All mine are designed around what the clients wanted for layout and color schemes, and they rarely want to change much, just take out the stale-dated data and put in the new stuff).
As far as getting creative juices going...I find that working on one project often gives me ideas I can't use there, but are applicable to other things, so I just keep hacking away at what needs to be done and ideas for new stuff start tumbling out.
I am getting ready to redesign a nonprofit site I work on. When it was first built the only requirements were it had to be done on a budget that barely covered the cost of the ISP and it had to be done ASAP. After reading this thread I have a lot of stuff percolating in the back of my mind and it's going to be interesting to see what comes out. Many thanks to each and all for such great input!
