Every industry has its own unique set of buzzwords and terminology. The field of website design is no exception. Those who work in web design have developed a unique language of terms to characterize their creative process, and while there’s plenty of logic behind these words and phrases, it can all seem a bit impenetrable to outsiders.
For business owners who are embarking on the web development process, however, it’s important to have some semblance of a shared language with your design team. That way, you can communicate your expectations more clearly, and ensure you have the right understanding of your team’s progress.
To help you develop that shared language, we’ve put together a quick dictionary. Consider this your crash course in essential, widely used web design terms.
Important Web Design Terms Everyone Should Know
User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX)
Let’s start with two terms that might seem at first blush to be interchangeable, but actually have some important distinctions: User interface and user experience.
When web designers talk about user interface, they’re talking about all visual and interactive elements of a website, which can include things like:
- Menus
- Buttons
- The overall layout of the site
This concept can touch on both the aesthetics of the site as well as its usability, which means it has a huge bearing on how the site meets actual user needs.
So what about user experience? Basically, UX is all about the feel of using a website. In short, you always want it to be smooth and easy for people to use your site and to find the information they need, so it’s important to focus on a UX that removes any speed bumps or barriers.
Responsive Design
You’ve probably read about the concept of mobile-friendliness, and how important it is for your site to be easily accessible to users on smartphones and tablets. After all, statistically speaking, it’s likely that a majority of your website’s visitors will be mobile users.
The term responsive design is closely related to mobile friendliness. Basically, responsive design is all about ensuring a website automatically adjusts to the user’s screen. A responsive design will work on any browser or device type, and will not need the user to resize the screen in any way just to access key information.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
If you know anything at all about the world of digital marketing, then you’re no doubt familiar with the prominence of SEO. SEO is all about ensuring a website is highly visible to a target audience of search engine users; specifically, you may optimize your site to pop up in relevant queries, including those related to your specific products or services.
SEO has many ramifications for website design. For example, keyword usage and overall layout can impact SEO. With that said, there are also many SEO elements that aren’t directly related to website design, including things like Google reviews, citations, backlinks, even your Google Business Profile.
Wireframe
During the web design process, your development team may send you a number of different deliverables, helping you stay abreast of your site’s progress. One of the most noteworthy deliverables is the wireframe. Your designer may send this to you fairly early in the process.
The wireframe is sort of a barebones version of your website, intended to help you see basically how the information on your website is going to be laid out. This allows you to wrap your head around the site structure before aesthetic elements such as colors, images, videos, and fonts are selected.
Landing Page
Your website design company may talk with you about the importance of creating landing pages. Each landing page is tailored to speak to a particular product, service, or advertising campaign. In fact, most landing pages are designed to “capture” the interest generated through a particular ad campaign.
Accessibility
Believe it or not, your website falls under the jurisdiction of the Americans with Disabilities Act. It needs to be accessible to all, which might mean ensuring font and color contrasts that make your site more legible to the vision-impaired, or else verifying that it can be translated into an audio player of some kind.
Know Your Way Around the World of Web Design
There’s plenty of jargon in the web design world, but it’s not intended to be difficult or alienating. On the contrary, learning a little bit more about these common terms can enable you to communicate more effectively with your own website design team.
At enCOMPASS Agency, we love working closely with our clients, always emphasizing consistent communication and client education. We’re always happy to answer any questions you may have about the web design process. To speak with one of our design team members, contact enCOMPASS Agency today.
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