This is the seventeenth article in a series about the Design Process.
This is the seventeenth article in a series about the Design Process.
Just before the site goes live, there’s one final checkpoint, and it belongs to the Designer. This is the moment to take a breath and look at the entire project with fresh eyes. While development may be wrapping up and the team is preparing for launch, the Designer plays a key role in ensuring everything looks and functions the way it was intended. Going live is not just the end of the project; it’s the beginning of how your audience will experience it.
Start with the basics. Are all the final email addresses, phone numbers, and social media links accurate? It might seem like a small detail, but even one mistake here can result in lost leads or confused users. Confirm that every contact method is correct and active. This isn’t glamorous work, but it’s essential.
Next, double-check how the site connects to social media. Do the links go to the right places? Are the account names correct? Look at the profiles themselves. Do they visually reflect the brand? Are the profile pictures and header images consistent with the rest of the design? If anything looks outdated or off-brand, this is the time for the Designer to step in and provide updated graphics or guidance.
If the website generates emails, whether they’re confirmations, password resets, or notifications, take a look at how those messages appear. Do they feel like part of the same project? Are the fonts, colors, and tone consistent with the rest of the site? A poorly designed email can feel disconnected and diminish trust, even if everything else looks perfect. The Designer should work with the team to ensure the email templates are just as thoughtful as the website itself.
Also, think about the launch strategy. How will feedback be collected once the site is live? Will there be a way to gather early reactions or monitor performance? Designers are trained to see what others might miss, and that same mindset should be applied here. This is the time to catch small problems before users do and to create solutions that smooth the post-launch experience.
Great Designers think ahead. They don’t just deliver a static design, they consider how that design will function in the real world and how it might evolve. Launching a site is the culmination of a lot of effort, and the Designer is responsible for making sure the final product meets the expectations set during the entire creative process.
Potential Pitfalls:
If the Designer skips this step, small errors can slip through and compromise the overall impression of the site. These might seem like minor issues, such as an outdated logo on social media, a broken email template, or a missing link, but they can add up. Taking the time to double-check these details can be the difference between a smooth launch and a chaotic one. It’s worth the extra attention to make sure the final product is consistent, polished, and ready for the world.
This is step 17 of 17 from the Design Process Playbook
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