In every web development project with White Peak Digital, this is always our first stage. The discovery process is not just about acquiring information.
It’s also about building rapport, getting to know each other, and setting the tone for the entire web project.
This way, it will help us understand your business, your target audience, and your goals for the website. We’ll also take a look at your competition and see what they’re doing well (and not so well).
All of this information will be used to create a website that is tailored to your specific needs.
Web Design Discovery: An Important Part Of Any Website Project
As Benjamin Franklin once said: “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” The same is true for website design and development.
Without a discovery process, it would be difficult to plan and execute a web development project successfully. The discovery process helps to ensure that everyone is on the same page from the start and that the final product meets (or even exceeds) your expectations.
It is such a crucial stage in web development because it ensures that the website produced is fit for purpose and meets client expectations so we can keep things efficient and on budget.
How Does White Digital Peak Do A Discovery Process?
The web design discovery process is an essential part of the overarching web development journey and, at White Peak Digital, we like to keep things as simple and straightforward as possible.
We understand that not everyone is familiar with the web design and development process, so we’ve put together a quick overview of how our discovery process works.
Typically, a full web design discovery process lasts 2 to 4 weeks, even up to 6 weeks, and is conducted together with your key stakeholders, including you and your project team, to get a crystal clear understanding of your business, your needs, and your goals.
During the discovery process, we like to start with a kick-off meeting where we can all get on the same page and make sure we’re headed in the right direction.
After the kick-off meeting, we’ll do a deep dive into your industry, your target audience, and your competitors. We’ll also conduct user research and look at some data to gain insights into how people interact with websites in your industry.
All of this information will be used to create a custom website that is designed to achieve your specific goals. By the end of the website discovery phase, we will have a clear understanding of your needs and a plan for how to best meet those needs with a new website.
The Discovery Phase & What It Entails
Discovery in a web development process encompasses research, meetings, and workshops in order to understand client needs and wants. With this, a web developer can propose the necessary steps to take in order to achieve the client’s desired outcome.
This is what a successful discovery phase looks like:
Website Assessment
At White Peak Digital, we start off every discovery process with a website assessment. This helps us evaluate all aspects of the current website in order to make recommendations for improvement.
The assessment looks at everything from the website’s design and user experience to the technical aspects of the website’s code and infrastructure. This helps us identify any areas that need to be improved in order to achieve your goals for the new website.
Research
In order to create a successful website, it is important to understand your target audience and what they are looking for when they visit your website.
We’ll conduct user research to gain insights into the needs and wants of your target audience. This will help us create a website that is designed to meet their needs and achieve your desired goals.
Website Goals Review
Once we understand your target audience and what they are looking for, we’ll review your goals for the new website.
We’ll make sure that the goals we set for the new website are realistic and achievable. This ensures that we are able to meet (or even exceed) your expectations for the final product.
Google Analytics Review
After we’ve reviewed your goals, we’ll take a look at your website’s current traffic patterns and performance.
This will help us understand how people are currently interacting with your website and identify any areas that need to be improved. Plus, if there are any low-hanging fruit in terms of quick wins, we’ll be sure to identify those as well.
Conversions Review
We’ll also take a closer look at your website’s conversion rates. This helps us understand how well your website is currently performing in terms of achieving your desired goals.
We’ll identify any areas where improvements can be made in order to increase the number of conversions your website generates. Prioritising your website’s user experience and making sure your call-to-actions are effective is key to increasing conversions.
User Persona Creation
Once we have conducted an assessment of your website, researched, and reviewed your goals, Google Analytics, and conversion rate, it’s now time to start creating user personas.
A user persona is a fictional character that represents your ideal customer or client. By creating a user persona, we are able to better understand your target audience, their behaviour, and what they are looking for when they visit your website.
User persona creation is an important part of the web design strategy as it helps us create a website that is designed to meet the needs of your target audience and achieve your desired goals. Without this, it would be difficult to create an effective website.
Sitemap Creation
Websites are useless without robust structure and easy navigation. This is why during the discovery phase, we also create sitemaps.
A sitemap is a blueprint of your website that outlines the hierarchy and structure of your website’s content. This helps us organise and plan the content for your new website in an effective way.
Wireframes for Page Design
Imagine yourself without flesh, only bones. That’s what a wireframe is for a website page.
A wireframe is a low-fidelity mockup of a web page that shows the structure and layout of the content without any distractions like colours, images, or branding. This helps us focus on creating an effective user experience and ensuring that the most important content is given prominence on the page.
User Flow / Process Diagrams
This is the blood and oxygen running through your website’s veins. It’s what makes everything work together and function properly.
A flow diagram or process diagram shows how the different elements of your website interact with each other. This helps us understand how people will use your website and identify any areas that need improvement.
Without a flow diagram, it would be impossible to create a website that is easy to use and navigate. After all, the only way to create a website that is both effective and user-friendly is to understand how people will interact with it.
Functionality Requirements
Last but not the least, your website’s functionality should be seamless and meet all of your requirements. This includes things like payment gateway integration, contact forms, newsletter sign-ups, social media integration, and anything else you need your website to do.
At White Peak, we’ll make sure that everything is taken care of and that your website is fully functional before we launch it. We’ll conduct a series of A/B tests to make sure that everything is working properly and that there are no glitches.
After the website discovery session is complete, we will have a solid understanding of your business, your goals, and your target audience. We will also have all the information we need to start planning and designing your new website.
Keen to get started?
So are we! If you’re ready to take your business to the next level with a brand new website, then our team of passionate web developers at White Peak Digital are ready to take on your project!
We’ll work with you closely throughout the web development and design process to make sure that your new website meets all of your expectations.
Now that you know more about our website design process, we hope you have a better understanding of what goes into creating a successful website.
If you have any questions or would like to work with us to take your business website to new heights, then we encourage you to get in touch with us. We’d be happy to chat with you about your web project and see how we can help!
To your success,
Jackson
