Under the Hood with Mitso Web Developer, Paul

As a developer, my role involves coming up with innovative solutions to clients’ problems; but it’s not just about writing lines of code.

It’s important that we set the right project goals, understand user needs and provide ongoing support to maintain successful digital experiences. 

Having recently celebrated my first-year anniversary, I wanted to look back at some moments that have shaped my first 12 months at Mitso. 

Delivering industry-leading websites

I’ve worked on several websites during my first year at Mitso, though one that sticks out is building a peer-to-peer designer fashion rental platform for Willow Collective (view case study here)

This website was built from the ground up, with the user in mind and was the first-of-its-kind in Ireland. I’ve also helped deliver websites for Pure Pharmacy and even Mitso’s own new and improved site.

A huge part of making all of our website development projects a success is hosting an initial UX workshop with our clients, to map out user journeys, anticipate user needs, and ensure a smooth navigation flow. This is something I’d recommend for all organisations developing a website as it will lead to a more intuitive and engaging user experience for your audience.

As a Web Developer at Mitso, I have worked with the team to craft a concise and intelligent website development process. Here are five key steps I’d recommend for developing user-friendly and intuitive websites;

5 steps for building a successful website

1. Define the purpose of your website

It is important to understand the purpose of your website and what you want it to achieve. Is it to sell products, share information, or build a community? Having clear goals will guide every decision, from content to website design and website development.

2. Determine features and functionality

Once you know your goals, brainstorming user journeys and experiences will help map out the websites key features and functionalities. Will you need an online store, different data entry forms, or a members area? You can only know the answer to these questions with proper planning.

3. Wireframes, design and content

A wireframe is a visual blueprint of your website’s layout. It helps us plan the flow of content before diving into website design. At this stage, we’ll deliver website copy, optimised images, and other content for both desktop and mobile devices.

4. Build and test

This is where your website comes to life! After our clients sign off on the website design and content, I build each page and all the functionality needed to align with the brief. Rigorous testing is crucial to ensure optimal functionality, responsiveness, and a smooth user experience across different devices.

5. Support, maintenance and road-mapping

A successful website is never truly finished. Regular maintenance is required to fix security issues, bugs, and update content to optimise search performance. Gathering user data and feedback at this stage is really important, to inform future website improvements and plan new features (a process called road-mapping.) This keeps your website fresh and engaging.

Providing ongoing website support and maintenance

Over the past year, I’ve been managing the rollout of newly-designed monthly and quarterly website maintenance packages for all website clients. As a team, we’re dedicated to creating great, user-friendly websites and proactively preventing issues down the road.

To learn more about our website maintenance packages, get in touch.

The next 12 months

I’m excited for what the future holds at Mitso. With some great client projects in the pipeline, I’m eager to continue learning, take on new challenges and to continue creating digital solutions with impact.

I can’t believe it’s been a year already! I’m grateful for the supportive environment and the fantastic team I get to work with every day – here’s to the next year!

*Disclaimer: Elements of this blog were created using AI or other automated technologies. Such content is provided for informational purposes only.