Make it right.

While creativity is essential, I’ve learned that establishing process and organization are both critical for a successful project.

Planning and research are foundational. While scope has varied with each project I’ve worked on, every project has benefited from establishing goals, challenges, and a defined audience.

Understanding a user base is critical to a successful project. If a project falters, user research has often helped in course correction. User testing, surveys, and research have all been useful tools in gaining clarity and vision.

Once the fundamentals are defined, I usually work to establish the content. Understanding and gathering content has often lead to further questions and shifts of direction. Sometimes clients don’t know what questions to ask. I’ve found it easier to advise once all the content pieces are gathered.

After content is defined, structure and hierarchy firm up the project’s face. With my experience, clarity has come from refining the content to match the goals of a project.

After the initial project groundwork, I’ve found that this is the best time to work through a site’s visual design. Every aspect of design communicates something to the user. I’ve created and worked with established brand styles. I’ve also had to develop these design systems when there are no guidelines in place.

Project launch isn’t the end of the process. Projects change and adapt over time. Once users engage, more data is available to work with. Digging into analytics and interviewing users at this stage helps to keep a site focused and on mission. Course adjustments are a normal part of a site’s life.