2. Theming
Graphic layout design, usability and user experience
Themes are the part of Drupal that anyone sees when viewing any page on their browser. One can think of a theme as a level, a kind of screen, that exists between the Drupal content and the users of the site. The main purpose of the interface is to help the user reach what he is looking for in a natural and immediate way, in an almost transparent way. For this reason, the consistency of the various elements that compose it, even on different devices, is a fundamental element for the creation of functional and easy-to-use products. The Drupal platform offers a wide gallery of graphic layouts (themes) that can be downloaded for free or can be purchased, but one of the strengths of the platform is the effective template creation system, which allows you to develop even very sophisticated customized graphic themes. We are therefore able to create a Drupal theme by designing a new graphic customized for your specific needs and congruent with the objectives of the project.
Responsive Web Design and Mobile First
The website must always be designed and developed with a responsive approach, with the aim of providing an optimal user experience regardless of the screen resolution and the type of device used, allowing for easy reading and navigation in any situation.
The Mobile First approach consists of first evaluating the experience and needs of users of mobile devices, and then enriching the composition of the page with elements and functionalities as the size, computational and network capabilities of the device increase. Particular attention is paid to providing a satisfying experience even to those with visual or motor difficulties.
Service Design and User Experience
Service Design is a design approach that deals with defining how the relationship between a user and an organization develops, generating a quality experience for both parties involved and facilitating the achievement of the desired result.
The service design process is based on the idea that all phases, from the conception to the implementation of a service, must be built on the needs of the users. For the same reason, the main metrics for evaluating the effectiveness of a service are the level of adoption, which is expressed in terms of service coverage (how many use it), frequency of use and user satisfaction.
Person and path of the user
People are invented profiles that describe the different types of users of a service, describing their motivations, expectations, needs and attitudes.
People are abstract representations of users who help the project team analyze their needs and imagine concrete solutions that answer their problems. Starting from the results of the qualitative research (individual interviews) groupings are created which are then told in the form of typical characters, or personas. The User Path tool (also called a customer journey or experience map) is used to briefly describe the experience of using a particular service. The synthetic representation allows a large amount of information relating to the process to be condensed in a small space, which otherwise would require long paragraphs of description without actually facilitating the understanding of the different passages and reflections on the aspects that can be improved.
Wireframe
The lowest level of detail is defined through the creation of a model (also called prototype or, in English wireframe) of the user interface, defining a general structure of the user experience during his journey in the search and use of the service.
All this is designed with attention to the aspects of the information structure and navigation flows, without worrying at this stage of the detailed solutions that define the interfaces from a "graphical" point of view. In this phase, in fact, only the supporting structure of the service and the solutions hypothesized in the research phase are realized.
Styling e Visual Design
The final stage of the design must focus on the graphic aspects of Visual Design, adding detail, style and animation to the wireframe.
The final stage of the design must focus on the graphic aspects of the visual design, adding detail, style and animation to the wireframe. The interface is built taking as a reference point the wireframe containing the general structure of the product: the skeleton is transformed and enriched in order to give a real rendering of the final product, although this still lacks all that part of interaction with the user. which will be created during the development phase.
Lo stile è il «linguaggio» del design, ed è costituito da elementi variabili come la forma, il colore, la tipografia, o l’applicazione di spazi coerenti tra loro. Questi aspetti sono combinati insieme per creare una risposta emozionale (riconoscibilità, confidenza con il servizio), e dare solidità e consistenza al layout, aiutando l’utente nella navigazione e nella ricerca delle informazioni.
Lo stile è trasversale a tutti i componenti di una interfaccia: ognuno è costruito sulla base di una griglia, utilizzando ben definite palette di colori, tipo e dimensione dei caratteri, spaziature, ombre, ecc.