Planning your site

When you create a website, it is important to plan it out. Many web designers engage in a practice called wireframing. This process is often supported by using visual metaphors for the parts of a website and how they fit together. This planning process is also useful for designers to determine the layout of a page and how people will interact with the page. Planning a whole site or single page can be done by creating a list of pages you want to be on your site and description for each. Ultimately, it's a way of being goal oriented, describing information in a logical way, and giving some thought to the experience of the user.

In planning your site you should give some consideration to the following questions:

• What is the goal of your website?
• How are you communicating that goal to your users?
• What information is important for users to have?
• In what order should the information be presented?
• What are the core tasks or activities do you want your user to be able to perform?
• What are the steps required and what types of interactions should be included?