Visual Website Planning
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A discussion about how non-technical founders can effectively communicate website design ideas to engineers without knowing programming languages.
Non-Technical Website Planning Method
- Draw visual layouts of desired website pages
- Write out the exact words that should appear
- Create sequential drawings showing user flow
- First screen/page layout
- What happens after button clicks
- Next screens that should appear
Communication Challenges
- Non-technical founders often don't understand programming terminology
- Can't differentiate between languages like Python, JavaScript, Ruby
- Don't need deep technical knowledge to build successful internet companies
- Engineers can often suggest better technical solutions
- May know easier ways to implement desired features
- Can identify possibilities the founder didn't know existed
Pros and Cons of This Approach
Benefits:
- Allows non-technical people to clearly communicate their vision
- Provides visual reference points for discussion
- Focuses on user experience rather than technical implementation
Limitations:
- Can be like "telephone game" with information loss
- Harder to iterate and experiment in real-time
- Miss opportunities that come from understanding technical capabilities
- Can't create while building like technical founders can
Key Insight
- Technical knowledge isn't required to build successful internet companies
- Visual communication methods can bridge the gap between vision and implementation
- Most important is being able to clearly communicate the desired end result
Sam Parr
Host of MFM and fitness influencer
Sam Parr is a serial entrepreneur and business media pioneer.
In 2016, he founded The Hustle, a business news media company that started in his kitchen with just $12 and grew to eight figures in revenue.
Sam led the charge in making newsletters popular when few believed in their potential.
After four successful years, he sold The Hustle to HubSpot, a publicly traded company. Now operating as HubSpot Media, The Hustle reaches 3 million readers daily, employs a team of nearly 100, and has been the launchpad for dozens of its staff to found their own media companies and newsletters.
Sam remains the host of the popular business podcast, My First Million, and continues to start and sell companies. He also co-founded Hampton, a highly vetted community for entrepreneurs, founders, and CEOs, and teaches people to write better through his platform, Copy That.