Ever wonder how great websites are actually built? Spoiler: it’s not about just picking some colors, dropping in a few images, and hitting "publish." A successful website—one that looks good and works hard—comes from a well-structured, thoughtful process. It’s part strategy, part design, part development, and 100% intentional
At Rundown, we follow a clear roadmap from discovery to launch that makes the entire experience collaborative, efficient, and results-driven. If you're about to start a new website, or even fix a broken one, here’s what a great design process should look like
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Before we open a design tool or write a single line of code, we start with discovery. This is where we get to know your business inside out. We ask questions like: What’s the primary goal of your website? (Lead generation? Online sales? Brand awareness?) Who is your audience? What actions do you want users to take? What isn’t working on your current website (if you have one)? Who are your competitors, and what can we do better? This phase also includes a deep dive into analytics (if available), heatmaps, user behavior, and your existing content structure. It helps us align your website with real business goals and not just aesthetics. The key outcomes from this phase include a clear set of goals and KPIs, user profiles or personas, a site map outline, and a project roadmap with deliverables.
Once we know what your website needs to do, we map out how it’ll do it. Wireframes are like blueprints; they show the structure of your pages without any design details. This helps us focus on layout, navigation, and functionality before jumping into visuals. We also define user journeys: Where does a visitor land? What do they click next? How do they reach your product, service, or contact form? This step ensures the site is intuitive, logical, and built around your users, not just your internal priorities. Key outcomes include wireframes for major pages (home, about, services, etc.), user journey maps, and clear content placeholders.
Now comes the part most people think of when they hear “web design.” We bring the wireframes to life with your brand colors and fonts, real images or illustrations, clear typography, visual hierarchy that guides users’ eyes, and buttons, forms, and components that feel native to your audience. Good design isn’t just about making things pretty, it’s about making them purposeful. Every design element we introduce has a job to do: build trust, guide action, reduce confusion. We also design with responsiveness in mind from the start. Whether your user is on a laptop or a phone, the site should look great and behave consistently. Key outcomes are high-fidelity mockups for each major screen size, mobile and desktop design views, and an interactive prototype (optional for premium builds).
With the design approved, we move into web development, translating the visuals into a working, interactive site. Depending on your needs, this might include custom HTML/CSS/JS builds, CMS integration (like Webflow, WordPress, or Shopify), API connections or custom features, basic SEO setup and metadata structuring, and Google Analytics and tracking integrations. We also ensure that every page loads fast, the site is fully responsive, accessibility standards (like alt text and keyboard navigation) are considered, and SEO fundamentals are in place. The key outcomes are a fully functional staging website, speed and performance tests, and a backend walkthrough and CMS training (if applicable).
Before anything goes live, we test everything across devices, screen sizes, browsers, and conditions. Our checklist includes link and form testing, page speed audits, responsive layout testing, spellcheck and copy QA, and CMS usability. Once we’ve ticked every box, we’ll prepare the live deployment. We also offer post-launch support to fix any bugs or issues that might pop up in the first few weeks. Key outcomes are a live, public-facing website, launch announcement support (if needed), and optional training or handoff documentation.
Let’s be honest, there are thousands of templates, drag-and-drop builders, and freelancers out there. So what makes this process worth investing in? Firstly, it's Strategy First: We don’t guess. Everything we build is rooted in research, goals, and user behavior. Secondly, it's Collaborative: We don’t disappear for 6 weeks and show you a surprise. You’re part of the process from start to finish. Thirdly, it's Built to Scale: Our websites are designed to grow with you. Need to add more content, products, or features later? No problem. Lastly, it combines Experience + Empathy: We know the difference between what looks good and what performs. Our work always aims for both.
This robust process helps avoid common and costly mistakes such as jumping straight into design without knowing what the website needs to do, forgetting mobile users, prioritizing style over usability, launching without testing on real devices, and designing in a vacuum without business goals. We’ve seen these mistakes cost businesses months of time and thousands in lost revenue. A great process prevents that.
Here’s what our typical project timeline includes: Week 1 for Discovery + Strategy; Week 2 for Wireframing + Flow Mapping; Weeks 3 - 4 for Design Iterations; Weeks 5 - 6 for Development; Week 7 for Testing + Launch Prep; and Week 8 for Go Live + Post-launch Support. Depending on the size of the project, this can be condensed or expanded, but we always stick to a clear timeline with weekly updates.
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