Successful Website Design – The Devil Lies in Innovative Ideation
As a web experience specialist, working with a web design agency, I have worked on a range of website design projects. Each client asks for groundbreaking designs and they are perfectly entitled to do so, but the problem lies in the fact that such designs don’t come easily to a designer, and I speak from many years of experience.
Great designs are about even greater ideas and as we all know ideation is a difficult job and if we add the word ‘innovative’ to it, it becomes even more difficult. But, if there is a job to be done, it needs to be done.
So, let me tell you how I go about IDEATING to bring forth the most unique, the most credible and the most effective online design experience for clients and end users alike.
Before I begin, it’s important to underline the fact that purely having an innovative idea is never enough; you will also have to overcome the potential barrier that exists for the execution of the idea.
Now that we have got that out of the way, let’s get started.
First, it’s the Conceptualization
It all begins here. What I do is I try to identify the various sources that I can use to generate ideas. I choose sources pertinent to the project requirement. After that I do extensive brainstorming and bounce my ideas off other designers and the marketing guys. All this time, throughout the whole process of idea conceptualization, I make it a point to focus on a specific GOAL.
Ideation is all chaos, but if you want to bring a sense of organization to this chaos, then you need to undertake goal oriented ideation, and think about which is that one idea which is innovative and which will help achieve your goal.
Consumer Oriented
A website design that makes everyone crazy over it is nice isn’t? Wrong, an interesting idea is one thing, and it is worthy of your consumers is something else. Let’s face it; your target audience is going to consume your website. So, your idea should be such that it is consumption friendly. It should get the message out there and make it work. Remember, purely interesting ideas don’t work; it’s those that have a resounding impact on the consumer that works. I make it a point to marry two important aspects ‘consumer orientation’ and ‘user interest’, in my idea.
For me, that is the essence of a great idea.
New Ideas by reworking the old Ones
There are times when I work in a pressure cooker situation wherein I have very little to think of new ideas. I think all of us at some point or the other have worked under tremendous pressures, especially with respect to time. But the attempt to find a new idea cannot be sacrificed just because, you don’t have enough time.
Here’s an idea for you, instead of thinking of a new idea, why don’t you dig deep into the recesses of your mind, go through your old notes, and take a look at all those discarded wireframes, and search for something that you think fits into the conceptual parameters of your project.
What you essentially need to do is improve an idea that is already there, refine it, fine tune it, modify it, and improve its potential to be innovative.
Choosing the right idea
All said and done, there are plenty of ideas that must be floating in your mind, what you need to do is pick the one that suits your needs and requirements best. It’s not all about the innovation quotient of your idea, it is also about whether you can sift through all the ideas in your head and pick the right one.
How do you do that? You need to keep things simple. It must be the kind of idea that is sustainable and around which an internet marketing campaign can be woven. But above all, it should be the kind of design that can be brought to life by your development team. What this means is that it must be feasible. Not going overboard with your imagination is the key here. There have been countless incidents wherein I have frozen on a nice little idea, only to be told by the development team that they cannot build the design in its entirety. This meant that the essence of the concept was lost.
Major heartbreak for me and my team!
But the key is to not lose heart, and modify the design in order to suit the parameters of development.
Innovative Ideation and the Devil
The devil is always in the details isn’t it? Well, when it comes to bringing forth innovative ideas, a case can also be made for the devil, in this case this being the ‘worth’ of the idea. The ideation must be worthy of the client’s project and therein lies the devil. This is where you need to make your thinking, creativity, expertise and experience count. If you don’t, you have had it.
If you want a successful website design, start nurturing a culture of effective ideation. Expertise is one thing, but if you don’t focus on ideas, say goodbye to any chances of getting a successful website design off the ground.