How to Build a CSS Framework
If you’re going to do any web design, you need to guarantee that your team or you have done their research into what CSS framework works best for your project. There are countless customer success strategy options out there, but they don’t all have the same features and functionality. So take this article as an introductory guide to building your CSS framework and learn how easy it can be to customize it to match your project’s needs.
1. Identify Your Pain Points
Every framework needs a clearly defined purpose and audience. If you don’t know who will use your framework, you can’t identify what they need from it.
2. Meet With Your Team
Meet with your team if you have one. You want customers to be involved in every step of your process. We are often so focused on our contributions that we forget how vital teamwork is in development and project management.
3. Define Your S.M.A.R.T. Goals
According to Userlane, “SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-Bound.” SMART goals can keep you focused on areas of your business that improve it.
4. Decide Which Methodology Will Suit You Best
As you make your first few websites, you’ll probably want to lean on an existing framework like Bootstrap. But if you’re planning on making more than one or two sites, it might be worth learning how to build your custom CSS framework.
5. Get Feedback From Customers
After you’ve developed your product, your priority should be getting customer feedback. This will help you understand if there are any areas of improvement or if there is interest in your product. There are many ways to do so: surveys, focus groups, interviews, etc.
6. Write Down Some Design Patterns
I think of design patterns as standard practices for solving common design problems. For example, in Web Design and Front-End Development, there are three fundamental types of design patterns: Visual, UX, and U.I. Depending on what you want to accomplish, you can use these design patterns differently. The best way to learn about these is by doing your own research online or reading books on the subject matter.
7. Choose your Tools Carefully
Your tools are integral to your workflow, so you must choose them carefully. The best way to do that is to take stock of your strengths and weaknesses.
8. Test It Out
After you’ve spent all that time developing and designing your framework, it’s a good idea to test it out. You want to ensure that it does what you need and that it is easy for developers to implement.
9. Use it in Production — Not Just Development Workflows
A primary benefit of building a CSS framework is using it in production workflows. This means your team can begin using and iterating on your framework as soon as possible, even if it’s not complete.
10. Acknowledge the Diversity of Human Needs
The people who make up your customer base will have different needs and expectations. To create an inclusive space for everyone, you must acknowledge and accommodate these differences.
Building your CSS framework isn’t necessarily easier than using one already existing. Still, it’s an excellent opportunity to flex your coding skills and learn more about web design.
