User Experience + Design

Our User Experience and Design solutions deliver easy-to-navigate websites that engage intended user groups through rich and deep content and well-planned functionality.

Building websites that engage a wide range of intended users can be challenging.  But, that’s what we do, because our client’s websites must support a wide-variety of users, ranging from curious citizens and experienced policymakers to power users conducting data-intensive research.  Supporting users with a broad range of needs and perspectives requires thorough and sound research and architectural planning.  Our client’s websites also require usability evaluations, not only to ensure that design objectives have been met, but also to confirm compliance with usability mandates.

Achieving outstanding results starts with a sound understanding of our client’s objectives, along with detailed knowledge of the site’s intended users.  This involves gathering client and user requirements, conducting competitive analysis and performing task context analysis.  Key deliverables during this stage are documented user objectives, along with personas for the key user groups.

Website design best practices are constantly evolving.  Some trends are worth adopting and others are too early to incorporate into our client’s sites.  The key is to plan an information architecture that places content and functionality where users expect to find it.  Also, the use of relevant or dynamic content makes a site more useful, accessible, and increases page views.  Key deliverables during this stage are storyboards, flowcharts, wireframes, and layout patterns.  Solid, well-defined information architecture provides a structure for the designers and answers the questions needed to allow the design stage to proceed rapidly.

It is important to validate the information architecture by conducting an independent usability evaluation.  Validating the architecture is accomplished by producing site analytics and performing usability testing.  The key deliverable during this stage are usability evaluation findings, including session recordings, analytics reports, presentations, and user and client surveys.

The next step is to create the visual design of the site.  The visual system of the site needs to be determined.  Emphasis needs to be given to colors used; a clear hierarchy from headers downwards through paragraphs, lists, and icons; the contrast between text and backgrounds, and content accessibility. Government sites need to be designed to give special consideration to users with disabilities, to comply with 508 mandates and web content accessibility guidelines.  Additionally, design considerations need to be given to allow content access by a range of devices, including smart phones and tablets, as well as planning for search engines.  Key deliverables during this stage are style guides, mockups, and production-ready CSS, image, and multimedia assets.

The final step is the development to create a functioning prototype that meets the requirements gathered from previous steps.  This includes the process of determining the best development platform tool and content management system to use in the final production site development.  Key deliverables during this stage are the development of HTML, including themes and modules, a design pattern library (guidelines, comps, and code samples) and production-ready scripting.  This is also the stage where back-end integration of data sources are incorporated into the site.

Computech’s experience has shown that successful website creation involves a sound understanding of the site’s objectives and its intended users, as well as careful planning with development groups for proper integration through production phases.  The information architecture needs to be straightforward and engaging.  The site’s usability and visual design need careful attention, testing and validation.  And the right tools need to be selected to achieve the desired results.