While taking online courses in UX Design, I’ve also started doing freelance web design for various clients. This gave me the opportunity to implement my UX and UI skills in a practical way, while also gaining income.
Workflow
For each project, I would follow a certain workflow. First, discussing with the client and determining what exactly their needs work to get a general idea of what type of website they’d want. Then using a strategy document to keep track of thoughts and ideas, I would begin to write out various things of importance such as the target audience, demographics, user needs, client needs, content requirements, and functionality requirements.
Wireframing
After the initial strategy phase and outlining the scope of the project, I would begin with building the actual site. To start things out, I established the site’s necessary pages and created a sitemap. This served as the basis for creating wireframes and the site’s functionality. When creating wireframes, I started with a mobile-first mentality. This ensured that everything would fit on all screen sizes and that the designs would be responsive. Initial sitemaps and wireframes were done on paper for speed and later translated to digital using Figma.
Visual Identity
Once, the foundation of the website was completed, I then focused on the site’s visual identity. This included creating a mood board, finding the appropriate typefaces, and establishing a color palette. Using these in conjunction with the sitemap and wireframes, I created visual mockups to represent how I wanted the end product to look and feel. These were also created in Figma, which allowed me to use the prototyping function to quickly test the overall feel of the sites.
When it came to developing the websites, I chose to use WordPress and the premium Divi Theme. Although I could have built the sites using a custom theme, I chose to use the Divi theme would allow my clients more control over the end product, allowing them to make any adjustments they’d like at any time they’d like.
Some websites that I designed:
(Since working on them, some clients have made design changes that I don’t like)
– http://khmertv.com/
– http://compnow.com/
– https://hpkproperties.com/
– https://cambodian.com/