The problem with the status quo

The design process for me is, from what I have seen and read, a pretty common one. It starts with pencil and paper, where I crudely mock up some rough ideas for the workflow and basic wireframe. Then ill go into Photoshop, mock up a basic wireframe/interface layout and then from there ill produce a full design for each of the key pages of the website. From there I go onto coding and database development etc.

The key here is the Photoshop part of the process. That I use a program called PHOTOshop should have triggered something earlier. We all know Photoshop has developed organically into much more than a photo editing application, but it still remains that it was never intended when it was initial developed to be used for designing websites.

Surely with the web design industry growth it is time for the lack of a true web design application to be rectified. Developing an application from scratch would surely come up with a multitude of benefits that Photoshop could never achieve, and it would allow Photoshop to focus on photo editing which would help reduce a common complaint about Photoshop these days – that its become too bloated.

So what should this app do?

This app should not be just another versions of Dreamweaver’s design view. Jason’s article I think borders on that a little too much. As far as I’m concerned there are 3 distinct stages of the web design/build process and good reasons for keeping them separate. Although thought and consideration needs to exist between them all, I think given their different purposes they should and always will remain separate.

The 3 stages are the planning/wireframing, design and build stages. This application should be for the second stage. It could incorporate the wireframing part of the 2nd stage, but I don’t think that some merging of the design and build stages is what is needed. Its important to be unburdened by the routine and structure of the build phase when designing, to ensure creativity isn’t stifled. Any dedicated app for web design would surely make the build stage more consistent and therefore improved anyway.

Here are the areas I think a web design app could vastly improve:

• Font handing – Having consistent rendering of fonts as they will appear in the browser is an obvious one for anyone how has taken a design from photoshop to the web.
• Standard layouts and common interface elements- A master file for each website, that in it allows for each page layout and to would be a god send. This could include common sections such as header, footer being consistent across designs so any changes are carried through, and well as global styles for elements (paragraphs, images, panels etc.). Also common elements could be simply dropped into the design when needed (similar to the library in flash I guess) with any changes to them carried across all instances.
• Page states – websites rarely are completely static, so being able to show various states of websites without have different versions of files or elements that have to be hidden/unhidden constantly would help in showing the interactions of a website greatly.

The way forward

I recall around 2007 an adobe executive talking about how the photoshop of the future would adapt to the specific need of the user – be they graphic designer, photographer, web designer etc. But why do we need photoshop to be an all in one application. I doubt adobe would take this approach without developing its own web design app in fear of losing market share, but perhaps with is too risky a move for a company like adobe. This is why I think a new player needs to come in with a fresh view. then it might force adobes hand anyway.

So lets get some discussion started on what designers need, and support start-ups that have already starting venturing into this field. Because if they are successful (and if they are they will make a tonne of money) we will have a application that with greatly help and impact on web design for the future. Spread the word…

I recommend reading Jason’s article. He makes some good points (and much more concisely than I can) and goes into detail a bit more about specifics on what the web design app could do and how.

Relative Therapies is a growing massage and natural therapy clinic in South Melbourne. They had an existing website which was developed a couple of years after they opened and was quite successful, bringing in new customers and being the first point of call for new and existing clients. Despite this success the business had grown and the website was getting old. It was no longer able to reflect the quality and professionalism of the business.

The business owner Nicole employed The New Black to do a complete redesign of the website and upgrade the functionality where appropriate. As a small business owner Nicole didn’t have time to be hands on in the redesign process so The New Black had to take the project to completion through a good understanding of the brief and experience in developing websites that address the needs of its users.

The Project

One of the key elements of the new websites design would be to create a look that was inviting to potential clients and reflected the professionalism and trustworthiness of the business. A very clean, relaxing, uncluttered design was developed to capture the mood clients would expect should they employ their services.

The old website only had basic contact information which meant all enquiries ended up being made over the phone. However when therapist are with clients there sometimes isn’t anyone to answer the phone. On the new website we added a simple but effective contact form, which will give customers an option to contact Relative Therapies via email, which will reduce phone time and streamline the process of bookings.

Limited budget and time constraints meant that the website content wouldn’t be upgraded much before the site went live. To allow the site content to be updated when possible the site was built with flexabilty in mind so when the time came to update the content this would be a quick and easy process. Further to this the site was developed to allow for expansion in the future. Adding a online store to sell products, a fully featured online appointment system or expansion of the sites content will all be possible without having to redo any of the sites functionality.

The Result

“The new website is fantastic. I’m really pleased with they way The New Black was able to capture the experience we are trying to create with our business in the website design”

Visit the website

The process has involved reevaluating the purpose of the site, its usability and functionality. From that the layout of the website has been reworked, styles updated and modified down to every last pixel.

A complete recoding of the website was also undertaken to make the site load faster and adhere to best practices. Plus there have been lots of other upgrades behind the scenes.

The next phase is a overhaul of the site content as well as a bunch of new blog posts. Then there are some microsites and other features that will be rolled out in the coming months.

There has been a lot of hard work put into the new site design and so far the feedback has been very positive. We hope you enjoy the new layout and any comments/suggestions are welcome.

The result, which so far has received a great reaction from users, can be viewed at www.khyats.com.au.

I’m sure everyone has their favourite go to tweeple whose tweets they always look at, so feel free to list some of yours in the comments below.

So here is the list, in no particular order, although I’ve tried to group them as best as i can. I have also set this up as a list on twitter.

Uber users

@GuyKawasaki - I am a firehose that answers the question: What’s interesting? Co-founder of Alltop.

@zaibatsu – Just a guy who loves Social Media. Want to know what our company does: The 1st Rule of Fightclub: you don’t talk about Fightclub

@TechCrunch – Breaking Technology News And Opinions From TechCrunch

@Jason – I’m a cereal entrepreneur: Founder of Weblogs, Inc., TechCrunch50, Silicon Alley Reporter, Engadget & Mahalo.com

@mashable – The hottest Twitter news, Twitter tips and Twitter help. Plus, the best social media links around!

@chrisbrogan – President, New Marketing Labs. More? http://bit.ly/cbbio . email: blog at chrisbrogan dot com

@mayhemstudios – Self-Proclaimed Media Ho, Designer Guy and Twitter Addict. In his spare time, Stunt Doubles for the Hulk and a really Nice Guy! You can even ask Chris Brogan

Web/Design/Programming

@DavidAirey – Graphic designer davidairey.com logodesignlove.com @LogoDesignLove

@designmeme – Web Designer, DesignMeme.com • Web Manager, University of Guelph • Faculty, University of Guelph-Humber ✎ Web Design Tutorials • Firefox Extensions

@1stwebdesigner – I am web-designer, who decided to dedicate his life to design few years ago. Now living happily ever after! Add me if you are web design fan!

@ilovetypography – Founder of ILT. Fond of fonts, taken by typefaces. Designer, writer, typophile, bibliophile, atheist.

@danbenjamin – I’m a broadcaster, writer, and developer. I publish hivelogic.com and playgrounder.com, and podcast on railsenvy.com, tacksharp.tv, and ee-podcast.com.

@darkmotion – Animator & Illustrator. I’m on some goofy podast (@keyframers)

@zeldman – Founder, Happy Cog™. Publisher, A List Apart. Co-founder, An Event Apart. Author, Designing With Web Standards, zeldman.com. Friend of the little man.

@justcreative – Graphic Designer, Logo Designer, Web Designer, Blogger, Creative Thinker, Freelancer, Link Sharer

@sixrevisions – Web developer/designer and founder of Six Revisions.

@jasonsantamaria – Designer by day, designer by night.

@RyanDownie – Website Designer, Front-End Development and ExpressionEngine Development is what I do.

@smashingmag – We make awesome websites!

@chriscoyier – Lead cascader. Head tag closer.

@imjustcreative – Freelance Logo and Brand Identity designer. Minimalist and typographic fan. Also known to create icons. 22+ years experience. LoveHelvetica. LoveDogs.

@PSDTUTS – The web’s #1 Photoshop tutorials site.

@DesignerDepot – Webdesigner Depot is one of the most popular blogs about web design trends, tutorials and much more. It’s run by Walter Apai, a web designer from Vancouver.

@collis – Hola, I am Collis, I write about startups at TheNetsetter, and run one called Envato.

@mattbango – Web Developer, Designer, UX Obsessed, Photographer, Birder

@OneLuvGurl – Writer | ♫ Musical | Dork Sarcastic | Lover ♥ | Designer #Wordpress Nut | Rockstar ☆ *•.You need chaos in your soul to give birth to a dancing star.•*

@abduzeedo – Graphic/web designer and blogger.

Technology/Gadgets

@CaliLewis – Shiny, Happy Host of GeekBrief.TV, a daily news show about technology and gadgets

@exdell – Technology news you can use! We’re hardware agnostic and having fun. Feel free to retweet us. We’re setup to autofollow friends back. Gadget geeks unite!

@mr_gadget – Gadget blogger. SEO / Social Media Consultant. SDLC Expert. Nutella Lover. Canon Fanboi. ENFJ.

@arstechnica – The Art of Technology

@fruhlinger – editorial director for engadget.com, switched.com, aol tech

@crunchgear – CrunchGear is a blog covering gadgets and computer hardware.

Marketing/Social Media/Entrepreneur/Freelance

@copyblogger – Founder of Copyblogger. Cofounder of DIY Themes, Teaching Sells, Lateral Action & two ornery kids.

@webaddict – Internet Marketer, Blogger, SEO, Partial Hippie, Techie, News and Idea Syndication

@unmarketing – Stop Marketing, Start Engaging. Speaker/Jedi 4 soc media. Made 60 videos with 60 mill+ views. Book out Summer ’10 from Wiley

@MirnaBard – Social Media/SEO Coach, Speaker. Instructor of Social Media at UCI, Internet Addict. Passion 4 life!

@FreelanceSw – FreelanceSwitch is a site for freelancers. Whether you’ve been freelancing for years, have just started or are considering making the switch…

@adellecharles – Co-Founder + CCO at Fuel Brand Inc. / Creators of the fuelbrandnetwork.com *see also adellecharles.com

@DigitalRoyalty – Work w/ Shaquille O’Neal, UFC, White Sox and other sports, athletes, entertainment and corporate brands to develop measurable digital & social media strategies

@kevinrose – Founder of social media site digg.com. Random ideas, entrepreneur, climber of rocks, video blogger, & tea drinker.

@dickieadams – You may find me on Freelance Radio where I play the part of a freelancer master-of-none.

@ryancarson – American living in England – I’m a Father, Internet entrepreneur and lover of movies. Founder of Carsonified.com

@jfalconer – Managing Editor at Envato (FreelanceSwitch, WorkAwesome, Netsetter), writer and musician.

General

@stylehivebuzz – Part social-networking club, part pop-culture lab, Stylehive is one big ensemble cast of trendsetters creating, discovering and buying the next big thing!

@TheCoolHunter – The Cool Hunter, Roaming the globe so you’re in the know

@feliciaday – Actress, New Media Geek, Gamer, Misanthrope. I like to keep my Tweets real and not waste people’s time.

@oliviamunn – Olivia Munn, vigilante super hero and novelty pen collector.

@laughingsquid – primary tentacle of Laughing Squid

“But wait! Thats only 49″ i hear you say, well i couldn’t not get in a shameless plug could i!

@newblackmedia

http://www.cnn.com/2009/BUSINESS/11/26/innovation.tips/

Objectives
Improve branding and identity – create a more professional and modern tech company feel
Increase sign ups
Easy access to back end for existing users
Easy access to company info and prices for new/potential customers

Services
Strategy
Branding
Design
Development

Visit the website >>

Set up in a modern, new age structure The New Black has the flexibility and efficiency of a small web creative but with highly qualified and experienced personnel, and a quality of work that you would expect can only be produced from a large agency.

This website will act as an outlet for me the Director of The New Black and the various people involved in this company to share their thoughts about the web, technology, style, marketing, trends and various other fields that we are interested in.

The team here at The New Black are passionate about the web and its endless possibilities and we strive to give our clients a fresh perspective on what the web can do for their business and to deliver quality work that achieves results.

Shane Ferguson
Director of The New Black Media Group Pty Ltd