“Web designers often think about the web design process with a focus on technical matters such as wireframes, code, and content management. But great design isn’t about how you integrate the social media buttons or even slick visuals. Great design is actually about having a website creation process that aligns with an overarching strategy.” Matt Meazey
From my graphic designer perspective, I think that our new AMPI International website works and thankfully has a good interface: what the user sees and how he or she interacts digitally with the different elements.
But to have what we have, our team had to overcome lots of obstacles and this is how the design process turned into a playground.
Why? Because, designing a website is not an easy thing, as web designer, it is very important to think about everybody´s needs but, sadly and unfortunately, we can´t please everyone, even our own team!
The first obstacle: THE USER
- final client : who will be interested in your content?
- the internal team: who will use it to promote his or her products?
3. the boss or: who believes is the boss and wants his or her views reflected?
Second obstacle: TEMPLATE RESTRICTIONS
When the budget is limited, sometimes the use certain pre-design templates, as the ones provided by WordPress is needed.
In our case, the AMPI International section had to use and adapt the one that AMPI National had already chosen. Therefore, our contents have to fit into the grid, boxes and frames, using the same fonts and styles as the one for AMPI National.
Third obstacle: LANGUAGE
Our team has an invaluable team player -Sarah Connor-, a british national, who took care of each detail in the information and contents of each section. She found the way to easily explain what AMPI is and why it is so important for an international real estate agent to become a member of the asoociation, in order to start building solid relationships that could end in successful international sales.
Many months after the launch of our page, I’m still asking myself why it was so complicated for many of the “bosses” to understand that if we have an International section why is it we cannot present the contents in English, if English is the language that is most spoken out of Mexico? That blows my mind.
Oh yes, everything becomes interesting when the users are unfamiliar with the technological aspects of the website design. Our team had to use all of our resources to explain why readability, simplicity and usability are so important for a great customer experience. Sometimes, it is like speaking in a foreign language such as Chinese to translate the tech-information to a common person.
Our International website cannot exists without the efforts of our fantastic team, leaded by Gabriela Chargoy and Daniel Gold, and my fellow members: Sarah Connor, Jennifer Flores and Manuel Evia. Hopefully, in a near future, we can fully complete our website, because we are keen to inform our international users, give them quality content and finally do international business with our colleagues from all around the world.
By Sara Sanabria | TAO Mexico, Tulum
