My 4 Step Design Process

My 4-Step Process for Building Fast, Effective Websites

When you ask me to build your website, you're not just employing someone to write code — you're using someone who cares about your business, your goals, and how your website represents you online. To keep things clear and stress-free, I follow a simple four-step process: Plan, Design, Build, Launch.

I'll break this down so you know exactly what to expect.

Step 1: Plan – Laying the Foundation

Every great website starts with a good plan. This is where I get to fully understand what you are aiming to achieve.

We’ll start with a conversation about your business (either face-to-face or via Zoom) so I can fully understand what you do, who your audience is, and what you want your site to achieve. Whether you're selling products, offering services, or just building your brand, we’ll define your goals together.

I'll also provide a rough timeline and a breakdown of what’s needed from both sides (like content or branding materials). By the end of this stage, we’ll have a clear roadmap for the rest of the project.

At the end of this stage you will have:

• A shared understanding of the website’s purpose

• A clear project timeline

• Confidence in the direction we’re heading

Step 2: Design – Bringing Ideas to Life

With a solid plan in place, I’ll move on to crafting the design.

Using tools like Figma and Affinity, I’ll create mockups of your homepage and key pages (desktop and mobile views). These visuals will reflect your brand, speak to your audience, and guide visitors through your content. We’ll review the designs together, and you’ll have the chance to give feedback before anything gets built.

This is a collaborative step — I want to make sure the site looks like you and feels right for your audience.

What you’ll get:

• Custom designs that reflect your brand

• A clear visual preview of your site

• The opportunity to fine-tune before development starts

Step 3: Build – Turning Designs Into a Working Website

Once you’re happy with the design, I’ll get to work building the site.

I use modern, fast, and reliable technology — including platforms like Storyblok, Nuxt.js, and Netlify (see my 2025 Web Development Toolkit for more info) — to create a site that looks great, loads fast, and works seamlessly on all devices. If we’re building an online store, I’ll use Shopify’s custom theme tools to ensure everything looks and functions just the way you need it to.

You’ll get a working demo to explore, test, and give final feedback on before we go live.

What you’ll get:

• A fast, mobile-friendly website

• Easy-to-manage content (no tech skills needed)

• A fully functioning test site to review before launch

Step 4: Launch – Going Live

Once everything is refined and tested, it’s time to launch!

I’ll handle the technical side of going live and make sure everything runs smoothly. Your site will be optimised, fully tested, and ready for your audience. I’ll also be around post-launch to help with any final tweaks or questions — so you're never left in the dark.

What you’ll get:

• A live, ready-to-go website

• Smooth launch support

• Peace of mind (and something to proudly share!)

Wrapping Up

Whether you're starting from scratch or giving your site a much-needed refresh, this process is designed to keep things simple, collaborative, and effective. You’ll always know what’s happening, and you’ll end up with a site that truly works for your business.

Got a project in mind? I’d love to hear about it — just get in touch and we’ll take the first step.