Design Process

Our innovative design process utilises the knowledge gained from over 10 years of designing CMS driven websites. Our position as the Squiz in-house design team, working under the same roof as the people that create our products and implement our sites, means we're able to bridge the gap between a traditional design agency and a CMS provider, therefore providing our clients with a seamless end-to-end design service built around communication and knowledge sharing. The fast response times available to us by working closely with the build team also mean we're able to be as flexible as possible in the way we work, giving our clients the level of freedom/involvement that suites them best.

Key Stages in our Design Process

The Process Steps Explained

Briefing
Our briefing phase is split into two parts that run in parallel; the creative design brief, and the technical brief. It's this process that enables us to design for a dynamic and extensible site, rather than a static, brochureware one.

Design Brief
This is a broad discussion to define your creative requirements, including the overall aesthetics, or 'look and feel' of your site, your marketing strategy and the way your brand is to be represented online. This is also where we gather/discuss your requirements for usability and accessibility, and other important factors such as site structure and information architecture.

Technical Brief
Our Web Technology Consultants gather all the necessary information for the technical analysis of the project, the results of which are used to inform the Project Scope and CMS Design phase.

Research & Planning
Based on the information gathered in the Briefing phase we now conduct research into your market, target audience and key competitors and begin to brainstorm ideas.

Project Scope
Here we perform a full content audit and produce a technical specification, which defines the technical requirements of the project. This information is used during the Wireframing and CMS Design phase.

Wireframing
The ideas, notes and sketches we've been working on are formulated into wireframes which provide a visual indication to the structure and layout of the site, and are a great point for discussion before moving on to the Concept Creation phase.

Concept Creation
Based on the design brief and wireframes, the Concept Creation phase can now begin. It is our aim to be as certain as possible at this stage on how the overall aesthetics, or 'look and feel', will appear, so that when the creative juices start to flow we know they're in the right direction. Once the designs are unveiled we go through a process of feedback and development to fine-tune them.

CMS Design
At this point the creative process and the technical process come together. Using the signed-off creative design concepts, the content audit and the finalised project scope, we can now address the design of the website as a whole.

Feedback Discussions and Ongoing Development
Throughout the process your Squiz Account Manager will organise feedback discussions at regular intervals and key stages, for example to discuss wireframes or design concepts once they are completed.

Sign-off/Build Phase
The design project can now be signed off and handed over. If we are building your site for you, your Squiz Designer now provides continued support for the remainder of the project, overseeing the implementation and working closely with the build team.

Responsive Web Design
This aspect of the design is factored into every necessary stage of the project. Learn more about Responsive Web Design