5 Essential questions to ask before hiring a web design company
If you’re looking for a web design company, you’re not just looking for a vendor; you’re looking for a purpose-driven partner.
A great website is more than a digital storefront. It’s often the first impression people have of your brand and your mission. Done well, it can inspire donations, spark movements, and convert visitors into loyal supporters. Done poorly, it can quietly erode trust and opportunity. Choosing a web design partner should feel less like a transaction and more like building a partnership. The smartest organisations ask smarter questions, so here are five essential questions to ask before you hire a web design company.
1. What’s your design process… really?
Every web design company will tell you they have a process, but you don’t just want any process. You want one that’s clear, collaborative, and proven to deliver results. There are several tried and tested design processes that reputable agencies adapt to suit their work and clients. Ensure at the very least there is a clear:
- Discovery: Gather insights and understand the problem
- Definition: Identify priorities and set clear goals
- Delivery: Create, test (preferably with real users), and launch the solution
Research quoted by Kaley from the Nielsen Norman Group shows that usability issues identified late in development are up to 10 times more costly to fix than those caught during the UX stage. By prioritising collaboration and user testing early, you can save time, money, and frustration while getting a website that truly serves your audience.
2. Do you care about users, or just design trends?
A website which is on brand, aesthetically good, but frustrates visitors is a broken website. The truth is, many agencies tilt too far one way. The creatives usually deliver something visually stunning but can sacrifice usability and performance. The designers obsess over UX flows but sometimes over-engineer at the front end. And the tech-first teams? Fast, secure and scalable, but not always the most inspiring to use. The sweet spot lies in finding a partner that balances all three: aesthetics, usability, and technical performance.
When interviewing a web design company, ask them how they test for user experience (UX). Do they conduct usability testing? Do they consider accessibility guidelines like WCAG 2.2? Do they design for your audience, not just what looks trendy?
Why it matters:
- 88% of online consumers are less likely to return to a site after a bad user experience (Forrester Research, 2019) Research, 2019).
- Accessibility isn’t optional. One in five people in the UK live with a disability, and websites that ignore accessibility risk alienating entire audiences.
- UX isn’t just about inclusion; it directly impacts SEO and conversion. Google’s ranking algorithms now factor in user experience metrics through Core Web Vitals
A good partner will balance bold design with user-first principles to create a website that is not only engaging but also intuitive, inclusive, and future-ready.
3. Can I see relevant case studies?
Every agency has a “portfolio,” but glossy screenshots aren’t enough. What you really want are case studies that reflect your sector, scale, and values, and can demonstrate a measured outcome.
Case studies tell you:
- Whether the agency has worked with organisations like yours
- How they measure results beyond aesthetics
- How they align with values such as sustainability, inclusion, or ethical data use
For example, if you’re a charity, you’ll want to see examples of recent work for similar size charities that closely match your mission. If you’re a commercial organisation in the sustainability sector, make sure the portfolio includes work that reaches a similar audience to yours. A strong portfolio shows that a company doesn’t just design websites, they design for impact, tailored to each organisation’s unique mission.
4. What happens after launch?
Here’s a reality many companies won’t tell you: the launch isn’t the end, it’s the beginning. Too often, organisations are left with a shiny new site and no idea how to manage or improve it. The result? Stagnation, security vulnerabilities, or expensive fixes later on.
A responsible web design company will consider you as one of the users of your site, and should offer:
- Training for your team to confidently manage content
- Support packages for updates, bug fixes, and hosting management
- Proactive optimisation reports that ensure your site keeps delivering results
- Security management so you’re never caught off guard
A great partner doesn’t just hand over the keys and disappear. They stay invested in your success, offering robust post-launch care, whether it’s safeguarding security, improving performance, or introducing new features.
5. What makes you different from every other agency?
This is the clincher. If a web design company can’t clearly articulate what makes them different, that’s your answer. When you find a company with a powerful difference, it speaks volumes. It’s a sign that they’re not chasing short-term trends but are committed to building websites that last, websites that honour the trust of your audience and elevate your mission.
Hiring a web design company isn’t just a procurement decision. It’s about finding a partner who understands your mission, respects your values, and builds with your users in mind.
By asking these five questions, you’ll be able to find a partner who not only builds beautiful websites but also helps build your impact.
Building purposeful experiences
The user experience (UX) design process at Pixeled Eggs.
At Pixeled Eggs, we support charities, B Corps, and purpose-driven organisations by designing and building meaningful website experiences. For this, our Creative Director Kris, alongside our team of UX researchers and designers, has developed an effective user experience (UX) process.
This blog explores the foundations of our user-centred design process. A system derived from Design Thinking, it allows us to keep a structured, considered approach, whilst enabling us to reimagine and personalise each website for our clients and user needs. We hope that it provides you with relevant insights and supports future briefs.
Discovery and user research
Discovery isn’t just about data – it’s about understanding the heart and soul of our clients’ missions. We immerse ourselves in research, explore what is already known, generate new insights where needed, and define a proposition that will lead us to desired results.
Our goal is to understand our client and their users. This can often be gathered from previous research outputs and strategy documents that help us better understand the organisation’s purpose and target audience.
“Our aim is to fuse the knowledge of site visitors, business needs, and our experience with purpose-driven organisations.”
Kris, Creative Director at Pixeled Eggs
Defining the audience
At this stage, we tend to run workshops with the relevant stakeholders to understand the users’ needs and goals. We create personas that will guide us for the rest of our journey.
“designing for anyone is like packing for a trip to anywhere”
Creating the website proposition
Every website should have an articulated purpose, a proposition to its audience. Sites without clear goals are often unfocused and hard to navigate. It is a very important step, as a well-defined proposition will influence the overall user experience and be crucial for effective visual design.
Here are some propositions we are proud of:
Missing People – Runaway helpline
- Whatever you tell us at Runaway Helpline we’ll listen and offer support. Not judge or tell you what to do. It’s your call.
The Earthshot Prize: “The website must:
- Drive awareness of both the organisation and the problem
- Demonstrate impact through the actions of Earthshot Prize Finalists and Partners
- Engage with all: positively engage with all audiences, from casual followers to potential innovators and partners
As you can see from the propositions above, these internal statements act as guiding principles for the website. They assist both website owners and designers grasp the website’s purpose and will influence and shape the visual designs and written content. Ultimately, these propositions aim to ensure our websites perform effectively, achieve organisational goals, and keep the audience’s needs central.
Content audit and information architecture
Our clients aren’t just website owners; they’re storytellers sharing important messages and making a positive impact in the world. Through content audits and information architecture, we build digital platforms that amplify our client’s voices. Every page, every click, is an opportunity to make connections and drive impact.
“Having a clear understanding of your content is key to creating a structure that works for both communications and visitors’ needs”
Kris, Creative Director at Pixeled Eggs
The information architecture (IA) is like a blueprint for the website. Just as we plan the layout of a house by deciding on the number of rooms, window placements, and door styles, the IA outlines the website’s structure and navigation.
A solid information architecture ensures that the site’s structure meets both the organisation’s and users’ needs. At this stage, we find patterns (page types) that will influence later stages of the UX process.
Engaging clients in IA development 💡
Collaboration is central to how we operate. When we present our IA, we’re not just providing blueprints—we’re building connections that reflect our purpose at Pixeled Eggs. Our workshops encourage clients to actively participate in shaping their projects. This collaborative approach ensures clients fully understand the IA results, laying a solid foundation for effective website management in the content management system (CMS).
User testing
At Pixeled Eggs, we do user testing because we believe in a human-centred approach. The IA user testing takes the form of Tree Testing and Card Sorting exercises, using platforms such as Useberry and prototype testing in Figma.
Wireframing and user journeys
Guided by insights from our discovery phase, we sketch wireframes that prioritise accessibility and inclusivity. The UX designers interpret research results and turn them into practical visual elements using Figma. We minimise the use of PDFs, videos, and full-width images to make sure our websites support Pixeled Eggs’ commitment to sustainability and accessibility. We also create reusable, intuitive design blocks that help clients manage content on their own once the website goes live, complete with annotated instructions to make the process easy to follow.
“We need to help the client see our vision and evaluate if it is the right direction before we develop high fidelity designs“
Kris, Creative Director at Pixeled Eggs
In this stage, we present black-and-white low-fidelity designs that allow clients to understand the general layout and the direction we are taking. Depending on the client’s needs, we create only the key pages as reference or propose a content structure with good storytelling.
Based on the user personas developed in the research stage, we create user journeys that help us meet all user needs.
“User journeys are best for capturing activities dispersed over multiple channels”
Engaging clients in wireframing development
Because we believe in collaboration, we work closely with our clients, gathering feedback, making adjustments, and iterating until we reach a solution that aligns with our mission and the client’s expectations,
Constantly evolving
At Pixeled Eggs, we are committed to ethical design and integrating innovative tools into our workflow. We continually review and refine our processes to ensure we remain efficient and effective in meeting our clients’ needs. This mindset allows us to stay ahead of industry trends and deliver solutions that enhance user experiences and also align with our values of sustainability and social impact. By embracing new technologies, we aim to improve our design practices and create websites that genuinely serve the communities and causes our clients represent.
In an eggshell: the UX design process
- Discovery and user research: Immersing ourselves in understanding our clients’ missions and their users’ needs. Capturing user needs through understanding current pain points with interviews, field visits and surveys. Validating our design with your audience through user testing throughout our process.
- Defining the audience: Running workshops and creating personas to guide our design process.
Creating the Web Proposition: Articulating clear website goals to drive the overall user experience. - Content audit and information architecture: Designing an information architecture for your website that answers user needs, creates a clear navigation system, inspires users to engage and explore content, and allows you to grow and develop over time..
- Engaging clients in information architecture development: Foster partnerships through collaborative workshops and presentations.
- User testing: We iteratively improve and enhance designs based on real world user feedback.
- From research to actionable design: Translating research insights into mid-fidelity wireframes for key pages in the navigation of your website.
- Engaging clients in wireframing development: Emphasising collaboration and refinement throughout the design process.
- From mid-fidelity to Hi-Fi: Using the findings in the discovery and user experience phase, we work with clients to understand their brand, personality and the audience perception of the brand. By doing this, we can build on the experience and storytelling metrics developed in UX, to something which ‘feels’ right to both the brand, and its audience. In doing this, we encourage recognition, empathy and tone which works for the organisation, and the viewer.
Google Analytics 4, tips for measuring UX
Tips from our UX, Technical and Clients Services teams.
Google Analytics 4, top tips for measuring user experience
With the phase-out of third-party cookies and the move to Google Analytics 4 around the corner, there is a lot of change in the air for Marketeers, which will bring both opportunities and challenges in the world of user experience. This blog explores our Google Analytics 4 top tips, how to put a plan into place as marketers and continue to improve website user experiences.
While we can’t do anything about the fact we’re now capturing less data, we can explore other ways to measure the user journey and enrich your website’s offering, whilst still respecting your users’ privacy.
With perspectives from our UX, Technical and Client Service teams we have put together our top tips on how to measure user experience and prepare for the next generation of Google Analytics:
Say goodbye to Universal Analytics and embrace GA4
Many organisations are still on Universal Analytics and this is due to be retired from 1 July 2023, when it will stop processing new hits.
This means that if you set up your analytics before October 2020 you’re likely to be using Universal Analytics and will have to export your data and make the switch in order to continue to capture data from your cookie-consenting users.
It may all seem a bit daunting now so, to make this transition as painless as possible and to give you time to understand your data and make decisions, we recommend setting up Google Analytics 4 now (yes, now!) and running it alongside your Universal Analytics account.
Setting up Google Analytics 4 Tips
Tip one – set up a GA4 dashboard
Setting up a dashboard in a tool like Data Studio to create a report to track GA4 data alongside your Universal Analytics account as a comparison exercise while you get to grips with the new data model.
Look at the patterns in your data, not the numbers
As mentioned above, It’s important to use this transition period to understand the new measurement model in GA4. Metrics we’ve come to rely on such as Sessions and page views are being replaced by events and parameters and Bounce Rate is being dropped entirely! You may be wondering how you’re going to produce insightful reporting without these metrics, but the truth is these numbers have been less significant since the phase-out of third-party cookies two years ago. It’s no longer the numbers that are meaningful, but the patterns and insights we gather from users we can collect data from.
This deeper view into the user journey gives a clearer picture of what traffic sources and campaigns create the most engagement and will help you measure the quality of the content you’re directing them to.
Tip two – keep it simple
Start with the basic insights that Google Analytics 4 (GA4) provides and refine them over time to fit your needs. If you’re a charity, you should track your donation journey to identify how you can increase conversions. If your site’s role is to generate leads, you should track which traffic sources and entry points convert best and amplify them.
Measure user behaviour
It’s not just data we need to measure to understand and improve the user experience. To make more impactful decisions we need to understand the context behind the data and any conversion barriers and that’s where behavioural insights come in.
Tools such as Hotjar provide a GDPR compliant way to gain real-time insight into how users are behaving on your website through heatmaps and recordings. Alongside tools to measure and observe behaviour, the feedback functions also allow you to run questionnaires with your audience from external to onsite surveys.
For quick user-driven results, A/B testing is a more expensive but highly effective way to compare two versions of a web page and to see what will have the biggest impact on users. With A/B testing there is a lot to consider and it helps to think back to your secondary school science days! Before you get stuck in it’s vital that your experiment is ‘testable’ which leads us on to our final tip…
Tip three – how to create a hypothesis for A/B testing
- Objective: What is that we are trying to achieve? This could be ‘to increase the number of donations on our website’.
- Desired user action: What do we want users to do more of? For example, ‘users to click on the donate button’ or to ‘see users donate more per single donation’.
- Metric/KPI: How will you measure success? A useful metric could be ‘the ratio of users reaching the thank you page’, or ‘the increased total amount of weekly donations’.
Contact us if you’d like to talk more about how to measure and optimise the user experience of your website.