Ever Wonder What Goes Into Custom Software Development? Part 2

Part 2 – The Software Design Process

When most people think of steps in the software design process, their first thought is usually of bright, colorful graphics and images that make a piece of software “pop.” While that is an important aspect of design, it’s actually only a part of a much deeper process.

Good design is focused primarily on how the user interacts with a product, what we call the user experience (UX). UX design principles help us to create software that is focused on solving user problems in the most efficient and painless way possible.

Proleadsoft uses a user-centered design process with four parts to create powerful designs that exceed customer expectations, and keep them coming back for more.

1. Sitemap  ->  2. Wireframes  ->  3. User Flows  ->  4. Visual Designs

The first step in Proleadsoft’s software design process begins with creating a visual sitemap for apps and software. A sitemap for apps works as a method for organizing the structure and content of a piece of software. It lays out the hierarchy of all the pages and screens that will need to be created, as well as how they are connected.

Sitemaps are the perfect starting point for app and software design, because they allow the team to get a bird’s eye view of the project. Sitemaps also help with several UX best practices including:

• High Level Planning – A sitemap for apps allows designers to lay out everything that a site should include, and ensure that no essential pages are left out.
• Organized Content – A sitemap also shows the hierarchy of an app, illustrating how screens connect to each other.
• Improved Navigation – Well organized sitemaps help designers create fluid navigation, so users can find what they need quickly and easily.
• Enhanced SEO – SEO requires a big picture approach, and sitemaps are essential for making it easy for search engines to crawl a site and know exactly what each page is about.

A wireframe is a low fidelity, skeletal mockup of a potential design for an app or software screen or page. One of the biggest benefits of wireframes is that they allow designers to brainstorm different layout variations quickly, without investing much time in visual design.

Because they are not focused on visual design, wireframes can prioritize how a user interacts with an app, allowing designers to build a more streamlined product. Wireframes can also be used to:

• Increase the Speed of Design Iterations – Wireframes are meant to work like sketches in a notebook. They allow designers to rapidly test different ideas, before investing time in the visual details.
• Quickly Gather Feedback – Wireframes also help the team settle on layout, functionality and information architecture before moving to more traditional design elements like colors and fonts.
• Rapid Testing – Another benefit of wireframes is that they can be modified into clickable prototypes, giving designers a working environment to test navigation and flows.
• Identify and Correct problems – The lo-fi nature of wireframes lets designers and developers identify and correct root problems before spending extensive effort creating visual design.

Visual design for apps and software is where the process really starts to come to life. Visual design adds typography, color, images, and your branding elements to transform wireframes into high fidelity mockups.

Visual design communicates so much about your product to users, including:

• Your Brand Narrative – Visual design can tell your brand story and distinguish your product from competitors with a strong brand identity, including logos, colors, fonts, and vibrant images.
• Key Features – App visual design tips can be used to direct users to specific features, benefits, or promotions that drive conversion.
• Building Loyalty – Strong visual design for apps can evoke emotions, and build brand loyalty through visual appeal and user friendly interfaces.