Help, I don’t know what my site should look like!

Knowing what your site should look like isn’t always easy. Some clients arrive with a crystal-clear vision and even a detailed brief. Others struggle to put their thoughts into words and feel uncertain about how to guide the process.

If you fall into the second group, don’t panic. This is more common than you think, and it’s not a bad thing. A strong ux design strategy doesn’t depend on you having all the answers from the start. Instead, it’s about collaboration, exploration, and building clarity together with your design team.

Below, we’ll walk through some practical steps you can take to give your designers the input they need and to give yourself more confidence about shaping a site that works.

Don’t panic

It’s worth repeating: there is nothing wrong with not knowing exactly what you want. Your role isn’t to hand over a finished design. That’s the designer’s job.

What matters is sharing enough information for them to understand your business, your customers, and your goals. With a good user experience strategy in place, your team can translate loose ideas into something structured and practical.

We’ll talk more about this from the designer’s perspective in another article. For now, here are some things you can do to move the process forward without the stress.

Everyday influence

The best thing about the web is that you already use it every day. Without realising it, you’ve built up a mental bank of what you like and what you don’t.

Start paying attention to the details. When you find yourself thinking this site feels easy to use or I really like the way this page looks, jot it down. This is the start of your website design inspiration list.

Then consider how those details might relate to your own project. For example:

• Do you prefer minimal navigation or a more detailed menu?
• Do you notice when sites use bold colours, or are you drawn to muted tones?
• Do certain layouts make content easier to understand?

By comparing these patterns, you’ll start to see direct parallels with what you want your site to achieve.

Focus on the details

You don’t need to find a single perfect site that ticks every box. Inspiration can come from small details: the way a button looks, the style of a form, or how a menu behaves when you hover over it.

Gather these examples and share them with your designer. Even if they seem minor, these elements are clues to your taste and preferences. When combined with your business goals, they form the building blocks of a tailored ux design strategy.

Talk talk talk

The more you share, the better your results will be. Keep an open line of communication with your design team, especially at the start of the project.

Remember: no idea is too small. A passing thought about colour, a comment on tone of voice, or even an image you’ve saved can spark important conversations.

Good websites rarely come from a single burst of creativity. They emerge from ongoing collaboration where your feedback shapes the journey and keeps everyone aligned.

Go beyond aesthetics

It’s tempting to focus only on colours, fonts, and layouts. But remember, your site needs to do more than look good. It should also support your wider business objectives.

This is where user experience strategy comes in. Ask yourself questions such as:

• What do I want users to do when they land on my site?
• How can the design support our sales funnel?
• Where should we reduce friction and make tasks easier?

By thinking in terms of outcomes, you’ll give your design team a stronger brief. They’ll be able to design not just a site that looks appealing, but one that genuinely delivers results.

Collect and organise your inspiration

When you’ve noted down examples from different sites, take time to organise them. Tools like Pinterest boards, Notion pages, or even a simple document with screenshots can help.

Label each example with what you like about it, whether it’s the structure of a homepage, the typography, or the way content is layered.

This collection becomes your website design inspiration library. It helps your team quickly understand your preferences and prevents miscommunication later in the process.

Think about your users, not just yourself

It’s natural to focus on your own preferences, but your site isn’t only for you. It’s for your customers.

Balancing your tastes with their needs is central to any ux design strategy. You may love minimalist design, but if your users are busy professionals looking for quick answers, clarity, and speed might matter more than white space.

Consider conducting lightweight research:

• Ask customers what they find confusing about your current site.
• Observe how they navigate competitor sites.
• Pay attention to the questions they ask most often.

Even small insights can make a big difference. They’ll stop you from designing in a vacuum and ensure your new site genuinely works for your audience.

Work with your designer, not against them

Design is a partnership. The best results come when you trust your designer’s expertise while still bringing your own knowledge to the table.

Instead of handing over a rigid brief or holding back entirely, aim for the middle ground. Provide your website design inspiration, outline your business goals, and be clear about your non-negotiables. Then, give your designer space to suggest solutions you may not have considered.

Keep iterating

Your first ideas won’t be your last. As your project develops, you’ll see wireframes, mock-ups, and prototypes. Use each stage to refine your thinking.

This iterative approach is a key part of ux design strategy. Rather than locking into a fixed vision, you’ll discover what works through feedback, testing, and small adjustments along the way.

From “I don’t know” to a site that delivers

Not knowing what your site should look like isn’t a problem. It’s an opportunity. It means you can approach the project with an open mind and build something that truly reflects your business and your users.

By gathering website design inspiration, thinking about your customers, and staying engaged in the process, you’ll give your design team the tools they need to succeed.

And by grounding the project in a clear user experience strategy, you’ll make sure the final site isn’t just attractive, it’s effective, sustainable, and ready to support your long-term goals.

 

Ready to turn inspiration into a site that truly works?

Let’s talk about how we can shape your ideas into a strategy and design that delivers results.