Wix Studio | Webinar: Before You Build: Strategies for Planning and Mapping Your Site

Hey there, design enthusiasts! I’m thrilled to bring you another mind-expanding blog post from NewForm, where we’re diving into the intricate world of planning and mapping your website builds with Wix Studio. This comes straight from a fantastic webinar with Eden, a technical designer at a Wix agency. If you’ve ever found yourself rebuilding parts of a website because you missed something in the planning stages, this post is just for you. We’ll explore strategies to make your workflow smooth, efficient, and enjoyable. And guess what? It’s not just about technique; it’s about embracing a mindset that beautifully integrates design and development.

Before we dive deeper, I can hear you asking, "What exactly does a technical designer do?" Well, Eden describes it as the perfect blend between designer and developer—a dynamic role that orchestrates the creation of visually stunning websites through coding wizardry and design flair. Over three years of experience, Eden has cultivated a knack for transforming concepts into seamless digital environments using Wix Studio, the latest gem from Wix’s toolkit.

Why Plan Before You Build?

Jumbo content websites, team collaborations, and multiple pages are all part of the wild ride of web development. Eden highlights how essential it is to perform an in-depth analysis of your project before you even open the editor. Why? Because you don’t want to hit that doodah moment where stuff just doesn’t fit! Planning is your best friend when aiming for efficiency, avoiding costly rebuilds, and ensuring a cohesive final product that wows your client.

What’s on the Agenda?

During this webinar, we touched on key areas in planning the building process, including the following:

1. Planning the System: This includes mapping your site before heading into the editor, understanding design rules, leveraging the global sections method, and strategizing your dynamic content with a CMS.

2. Building the System: We explored how to implement those plans within Wix Studio using top features to simplify the process.

3. Case Study—The Wix Agency Website: We got an insight into Eden’s experience with complex projects and the methodology that brought everything together productively.

But why, you ask? Well, to create a dynamic knowledge base and learning tool, we've got to strategize, foresee challenges, and collaborate efficiently.

Let's Start Planning the System

Step 1: Mapping

Mapping is your prep stage—a scenic drive through the landscape of your future site. It involves observing your pages collectively and noting down any potential issues and designs. Eden and team used Figma and FigJam, setting up a building plan that allowed each collaborator to drop their thoughts and strategies.

The goal here is to recognize patterns and plan out significant elements of the site without stepping foot into the editor. Think of it as designing the blueprints before even considering the bricks.

Step 2: Design Rules

With a penchant for poignant design stories, setting the design rules comes next. This entails creating a style sheet loaded with fonts, sizes, and colors. Why? So you’re not fishing around mid-build for the exact shade of orange or figuring out font sizes.

The style sheet is a roadmap that guides the builders in coherent communication of the planned design system across devices. Eden highlighted the importance of maintaining consistency, especially when multiple team members are involved.

Step 3: Global Sections Method

Efficiency isn’t just a buzzword; it's a philosophy! Eden recommends using global sections for parts of the website appearing across pages. Adjust once, and the magic happens globally! It’s an astoundingly efficient process that saves time and ensures consistency across the board.

Step 4: Plan Dynamic Content with CMS

For the grand finale of planning, it's CMS (Content Management System) time! CMS allows you to structure your content in collections, creating dynamic pages directly linked to your databases. This was paramount when Eden's team identified dynamic elements like projects and case studies within the site.

Instead of building static replicas on each page, CMS acts as the powerhouse that feeds your website with dynamic content, keeping everything fresh, uniform, and easily adjustable.

Creating the System Inside Wix Studio

Head now to the fun part: creating the system in Wix Studio. Let’s see how Eden turned meticulous plans into stunning digital real estate.

Stylize Your Site

First things first—set your colors and typographies in the Site Styles. Commit your style sheet to the editor, ensuring all components resonate with these preset styles. This consistency in branding and presentation brings harmony and elevates user experience across the entire site.

Build the Infrastructure

You wouldn’t construct a skyscraper without installing the girders, right? Similarly, setting up your page infrastructure means creating all necessary pages and preparing databases before adding content. This strategic foresight speeds up productivity and avoids the hassle of reshuffling later.

Incorporate Global Sections

With your framework in place, fill in the puzzle with the global sections you identified earlier. Wix Studio’s ability to manage section content globally ensures that alterations require minimal effort to achieve maximum results.

Add Dynamic Content

Deploy those CMS skills! Link your dynamic content into structured pages, offering a tailored experience for your audience. Build template-based dynamic pages that automatically adapt to populate content from your databases with minimum fuss.

Wrapping Up

Eden’s webinar leaves us with invaluable insights on building a strategic approach to navigate complex web projects. From pre-build mapping to integrated development, these strategies are all about saving time, enhancing collaboration, and ensuring excellence in design.

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