Easy Tips : Front-end design for digital publishers

Front end of a website is the bit that is visible to the readers. Designing front end refers to a process of creating the look and feel of the website. This is an effort made by developers to help ease the user experience online. Many believe that the speed of loading time speaks about the performance of the front end however this cannot be guaranteed. A more apt way to put it would be to ask how long it takes a user to find their desired output from your website. While your website does need to load quickly, it also needs to have necessary features to help guide your reader from a single point to another. This would improve the overall experience of your reader on your website. 

A simple check would be to look into how long it takes your website, with stable connection, to fully load for interaction, also known as Time to Interactive. The time must be within milliseconds for optimal results. Anything longer and you’ll have the reader clicking away.

Are you developing your front end inhouse? Or do you have a front-end tool like Ahead? The trick is to get a solution that helps build a dependable structure which is easy to customize. With a software like ahead, you’re able to completely transform your user experience. You get to play with layouts and colors and other features with simple clicks. 

This is primarily the visual aspect of the website. You would usually break them into building blocks that you can move around to better aid readability. 

Color

The use of color is also of much significance. The standard website templates may seem uniform across most websites but the color you choose could help you mark a distinction. Ensure that all the colors you’ve chosen are selected with the proper names and shared across the team. Insist on using codes. Color must stand well across both light and dark backgrounds. 

Font  

You’ll be writing a lot of content, it’s important to have a font that suits your readers. Using sans serif fonts would be better advised. Fonts, if kept basic, could also help reduce loading time. Look into your options and land on one that helps your goal. You’d want to choose more than one font, and look if they pair well together. Remember to consider the entirety of your website content for the same. 

Buttons and links 

Any multimedia or hyperlinks you might use, should have a template to follow. This helps maintain uniformity and allows the reader to recognize the overall nature of your website. 

Hyperlinks take readers from one subject to another relevant one. It’s important to mark the distinction - pick a color and format that aids the same. 

Images and videos 

Video stories and photo-stories are on the forefront of almost every website. You want to ensure that these are optimized and stored as collections for easy access. The images you use on your website might be designed from scratch or even taken by photographers, its important to ensure that their quality is maintained without compromising on the load time. 

Videos could take longer to load however that’s how most content is consumed today. Create reels and focus on your mobile-first video content. Video can often be played in a picture-in-picture mode. 

Text over everything 

In your fight to minimize load time, remember to push text first. Everything else can wait. Users want the information and they want it quick. This is why you need to ensure that you have prioritized what parts are important and in what order they must load on the screen. 

While it’s easy to fall into the overwhelming details of the entire website, it’s important to divide your focus for each individual page. You could have subscription pages, sections, about pages and more. Even error pages! With the right focus, you can ensure that your error pages don’t annoy your readers, look into each design and see how you can improve the UI. 

In this generation, there’s a new device coming in shattering the 16:9 and reaching a million users. You need to stay upbeat with technology and keep device layouts in mind. Your website must be pleasing to your mobile users, desktop users and even smart watch user. Ensure that the design works on cross platforms. 

Conclusion 

Front end design can make or break your content. While you carry rich content, if your user interface isn’t smooth, readers might not take a second look at your content. Collaborate with your design team to create a front-end that represents you and your brand.