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The title of this post isn’t misleading, but we are talking about headers in web design. I’ve witnessed (at least) over the past five years and continuing trend of smaller headers. What we’re usually talking about is a logo, and main navigation.

We know that content is king, so let’s enable the user to start reading/viewing/interacting with our content as easily as possible, without the need for scrolling down past the top navigation. We also know that like town planning, space is at a premium.

Here’s a pick of websites that I think illustrate this well:

Do you think website headers are becoming slimmer? Have you seen other designs we could add to this list? Add your opinion in the comments!

This post came from a project description that found its way into my RSS reader, and I think it’s worthy of a blog post – another one of those misconceptions about web design.

It’s a part of the design process that deals with the creation of mockups.

Now, the misconception here is that the web designer creates two or three mockups for the client so they can choose which they like the best.

Having experienced this first-hand, there are several reasons why this is detrimental to the design process.

If the designer is spending time making a number of mockups and only one is chosen, what happens to the rest of the mockups that didn’t make the cut? They go in the bin. That’s a waste of time, money and the designer’s expertise.

There is also the likelihood that the client will like something from one design, and something from another, resulting in a messy, clunky final design.

So how do we avoid this practice? Well, what we do at skysoclear is stick to one design throughout – it’s an evolutionary process. Mockups are just one stage in a simple, but comprehensive process that we use on the majority of our projects:

1. Research
2. Structure and Navigation
3. Wireframing
4. Design aesthetics
5. Code
6. Optimise and initial SEO
7. Usability testing
8. Delivery

Using a process like this, where each part is signed off, enables the project to flow much smoother and maximize the efficiency of our expertise. Essentially, at each part, we’re adding a layer.

Looking at the wireframing part for example, the focus is on layout. This is decided upon after just a few revisions, quickly and easily (no more “Revision 20+”). Then when it comes to adding the graphic layer in the Design aesthetics stage, all we’re looking at is enhancing the look and feel of the user interface – making the site a pleasure to use.

The process is cut up into each stage to enable the decision making process to be at its most productive. We could take the process and show how the decisions are made through it:

1. Research or “What are we hoping to achieve”
2. Structure and Navigation or “How will the user move around the site and how many pages will there be”
3. Wireframing or “What will the site layout be like”
4. Design aesthetics or “How will the interface engage with users”
5. Code
6. Optimise and initial SEO or “How will we make the site run fast and how will new users find us?”
7. Usability testing or “What do our users think of the new design/do changes need to be made that we haven’t considered?”
8. Delivery or “Let’s roll it out! “

So the process as much as decision-making as it is production.

I hope this post has dispelled a few myths and encouraged you to think that multiple design choices are not the way forward.

Is this a common misconception? Do clients expect multiple designs – where does it come from?