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Web Design

Thinkers

Best practices for designing web apps and marketing sites with emphasis on conversion optimization, accessibility, and automated testing standards for 2024.

Context​

Critical Path​

What is the simplest way to guaranteed success?

Develop a set of reusable standards to manage design at scale using provable valuable reusable components and patterns.

Design Review​

Common question to run through when appraising a design.

Customer Perspective​

  • What does this mean?
  • Who needs to see this?
  • What decision are they making?
  • What do they need to know?
  • What does someone know now that they didn't know before?
  • What is the emotional hook?
  • What's the payoff?
  • What is the initial impression?
  • If you stopped reading here, what is the message?
  • What's missing?
  • What's the simpler version of this?

Design Intentions​

  • Is what this says and what it means the same thing?
  • What do we want them to remember?
  • Do we want that?
  • Do we need to say that here?
  • How does this make you feel?
  • How else can we say this?
  • How does that change behaviour?
  • How does that work?
  • Why is that worth a click?
  • Is that worth scrolling to?
  • Are we assuming too much?
  • Why are things in this order?
  • Why would this make them choose that?
  • What does a more polished version of this look like?
  • Why would someone leave at this point?
  • Why are we saying this twice?
  • Is it worth pulling attention away from that?
  • Does that make it clearer?
  • What matters the most here?
  • How would someone know that?
  • Would it matter if someone missed that??
  • What's the obvious next step?
  • Does that make it easier or harder?
  • Would this be better as a sentence or a picture?
  • What is the key action verb?
  • Why is that there?
  • What problem is that solving?
  • What would happen if we got rid of that?
  • Why isn't that clear?
  • Why is this better?
  • How can we make this more obvious?
  • What happens when this expands?
  • If we got rid of this, does that still work?
  • Is it obvious what happens next?
  • What just happened?
  • Where's the idea?
  • How does this change someone's mind?
  • Are nested dropdowns necessary?
  • Do we have time to create our own perfect Datepicker?
  • Or do we try to customize something open source?
  • How best to handle disabled buttons?

Landing Page Optimization Checklist (2024)​

Conversion Fundamentals​

Above the Fold Requirements​

  • Clear, benefit-focused headline (can increase conversions by 307%)
  • Prominent call-to-action button with high contrast
  • Value proposition visible within 3 seconds
  • Social proof or trust indicators visible
  • Navigation that doesn't compete with primary CTA

Call-to-Action Optimization​

  • Primary CTA uses action-oriented language
  • Button color contrasts strongly with background
  • Only one primary CTA above the fold
  • CTA placement follows F-pattern reading behavior
  • Personalized CTAs when possible (202% better conversion)

Content & Messaging​

  • Headline matches traffic source expectations
  • Benefits clearly outweigh features in copy
  • Emotional triggers aligned with target audience
  • Scannability with bullet points and short paragraphs
  • Video content when appropriate (86% conversion improvement)

Technical Performance Standards​

Core Web Vitals (2024)​

  • Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) under 2.5 seconds
  • First Input Delay (FID) under 100 milliseconds
  • Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) under 0.1
  • First Contentful Paint (FCP) under 1.8 seconds
  • Time to Interactive (TTI) under 3.8 seconds

Mobile-First Design​

  • Responsive design across all breakpoints
  • Touch targets minimum 44px x 44px
  • Readable text without zooming (16px minimum)
  • Fast mobile load times (under 3 seconds)
  • Thumb-friendly navigation patterns

Accessibility Standards (WCAG 2.1 AA)​

  • Color contrast ratio 4.5:1 or higher for normal text
  • Color contrast ratio 3:1 or higher for large text
  • Keyboard navigation support
  • Screen reader compatibility
  • Alternative text for all images
  • Descriptive link text
  • Form labels properly associated

Brand & Visual Hierarchy​

Visual Design Standards​

  • Consistent with brand guidelines
  • Clear visual hierarchy (F or Z pattern)
  • Adequate whitespace for breathing room
  • Typography scale follows 1.25-1.5 ratio
  • Limited color palette (3-4 primary colors)

Trust & Credibility​

  • Professional photography/imagery
  • Customer testimonials with photos
  • Security badges and certifications
  • Contact information easily accessible
  • About page with team information

User Experience Flow​

Navigation & Usability​

  • Logical information architecture
  • Breadcrumbs for deep pages
  • Search functionality when needed
  • 404 error page with helpful navigation
  • Consistent UI patterns throughout

Conversion Funnel​

  • Clear path from awareness to action
  • Minimal form fields (only essential data)
  • Progress indicators for multi-step processes
  • Exit-intent popups with value offers
  • Thank you page with next steps

Automated Testing Framework​

MCP Tools Integration​

Playwright MCP Setup​

For automated design testing, configure Playwright MCP server:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "playwright": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@executeautomation/playwright-mcp-server"]
    }
  }
}

Visual Regression Testing​

Recommended Tools:

  • Percy by BrowserStack: Cross-browser visual testing with smart baselines
  • Chromatic: Component-level visual testing for Storybook
  • Lighthouse: Performance and accessibility auditing

Setup Checklist:

  • Baseline screenshots captured across breakpoints
  • CI/CD integration for automated testing
  • Threshold settings for acceptable visual changes
  • Cross-browser compatibility matrix defined

Accessibility Automation​

// Example Playwright accessibility test
const { test, expect } = require("@playwright/test");
const AxeBuilder = require("@axe-core/playwright").default;

test("Landing page accessibility", async ({ page }) => {
  await page.goto("https://mm.dreamineering.com/");

  const accessibilityScanResults = await new AxeBuilder({ page })
    .withTags(["wcag2a", "wcag2aa", "wcag21aa"])
    .analyze();

  expect(accessibilityScanResults.violations).toEqual([]);
});

Performance Monitoring​

Lighthouse CI Integration​

# .github/workflows/lighthouse.yml
name: Lighthouse CI
on: [push]
jobs:
  lhci:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
      - name: Run Lighthouse CI
        run: |
          npm install -g @lhci/cli@0.12.x
          lhci autorun

Core Metrics Monitoring​

  • Real User Monitoring (RUM): Track actual user experiences
  • Synthetic Testing: Automated performance checks
  • Budget Alerts: Performance regression notifications
  • Competitive Benchmarking: Industry comparison metrics

Design System Implementation​

Component Standards​

Reusable Design Patterns​

  • Button component library with variants
  • Form field standards and validation states
  • Card component patterns
  • Navigation component specifications
  • Typography scale documentation

Design Tokens​

  • Color palette with semantic naming
  • Spacing scale (4px, 8px, 16px, 24px, 32px, 48px, 64px)
  • Typography scale and font weights
  • Border radius standards
  • Shadow/elevation system

Quality Assurance Process​

Design Review Workflow​

  1. Stakeholder Review: Business requirements alignment
  2. Design Review: Visual and UX standards compliance
  3. Technical Review: Implementation feasibility
  4. Accessibility Review: WCAG compliance check
  5. Performance Review: Speed and optimization validation
  6. User Testing: Validation with target audience

Testing Checklist​

  • Cross-browser testing (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)
  • Device testing (mobile, tablet, desktop)
  • Accessibility testing with screen readers
  • Performance testing under load
  • A/B testing setup for optimization

Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)​

Testing Framework​

A/B Testing Standards​

  • Statistical significance thresholds (95% confidence)
  • Minimum sample size calculations
  • Test duration planning (2-4 weeks minimum)
  • Primary and secondary metrics defined
  • Hypothesis documentation

CRO Best Practices​

  • Single variable testing approach
  • Control vs. variation documentation
  • Results analysis and iteration planning
  • Winner implementation timeline
  • Learning documentation for future tests