An Idea To Build On

As I push to get an idea of what is going on with the Virginia Beach Angler’s Club website, www.virginiabeachanglersclub.org, I have been thinking about what a new homepage could look like when redesigned.

Rather than just think about it, I put together a mockup, or a wireframe.

I sort of picture a wireframe mockup like wireframe furniture. The wire that makes up the frame is critical to stability. Even more so, though, are the pieces of wood that hold up little trinkets.

My wireframe is simple. Here is a description from top to bottom:

At the very top are three links that will carry on from page-to-page – Home, Resources and Contact Us. These are important links for users. The Home will get people back to the homepage. Resources can be accessed from any page and users will be able to contact the club or developer at any page, whether it is because the site is broken or that they have a question about something they saw on the site.

Below the top-top navigation is a banner that will always read, “Virginia Beach Angler’s Club,” and “Since 1959,” and to the right of that is the club logo.

Just below the banner is a navigation bar that when the user reaches a certain point of the page, will turn into a floating bar that can be accessed without having to scroll to the very top.

After the menu is a slider of the most recent stories, news items and images. This is something that will always change if content is updated onto the site.

After that is a welcome section with spots for two images – possibly the current president and someone fishing. I mean, the site is a fishing site.

To the right of the welcome is a second column that kicks off with the date, time and location of the next meeting, then moves onto fishing pictures and a way for people to submit their images, and a link for people to click to learn more about the club and join.

This is just a mockup, a barebones mockup. But in all design processes, everything begins with an idea and grows from there.