DEV Community: Ryan Gittings

Mental Health as a Freelancer

Ryan Gittings — Fri, 12 Mar 2021 21:06:36 +0000

I've tried to find ways of coping with the enormous demands of being a freelance web designer whilst also balancing home, personal and work life. I've had many ups and downs within this time and always struggled to balance work with mental health and I quite often experienced burnout. Not only that, but I'd wake up, force myself to get to my desk at a certain time and quite often stare at a screen for large periods of time. I wasn't productive, but I felt like I had to be working, otherwise I'd be left behind and almost felt guilty if I wasn't working the typical 9-5 hours.

Burnout

I've really struggled with several serious bouts of burnout. Looking back, there were usually two triggers:

Taking on too much work, not having enough time to look after myself and have some downtime away from the screen.
Having a really demanding client that either didn't suit the way I worked, were unreasonable with things like timeframe, responsibility or delivery.

It's only when I look back now I realise how what I'd been doing wasn't sustainable, and how that affected mental health. I was quite often working most evenings and weekends, and with that obviously comes some perks, I was probably earning a bit more, and I found that I had routines to allow me to continue to produce great work. Hell, I quite often found my most productive hours were between 9-11pm.

When I hit burnout, I really struggled to get to grips with why I felt like I did and what caused it. I had zero motivation to do anything, I was just making sure I delivered for clients and hitting deadlines but doing nothing in-between. I was ambling from project to project, forcing myself to work in small patches to make sure I continued to deliver for clients. Do you remember how it felt when you got to a Sunday evening when you were at school? I used to have that dread feeling in the pit of my stomach and really not wanting to go back to school. This is what burnout did to me, but for work. The beauty of being a freelancer is to be your own boss. You decide when you want time off. You decide what projects you want to work on.

Improving things

I'd begun to realise what was happening in 2019. I knew I had to create something sustainable, that I could manage long term and start to enjoy again. I put in the following measures, which really did help:

No weekend work

I made a conscious decision to not work any weekends unless there was a really valid reason for doing so. I shut the laptop on a Friday afternoon and don't pick it up again until Monday morning. This really helped initially, but I found with the Gmail app installed on my phone, I was picking up emails and getting mail classed as 'urgent' to action (and expecting me to action) on the weekend. Things like small bugs on mobile for example, or maybe a host went down and the client needed some help.

The reality was: it wasn't urgent. These types of enquiries were valid, and I help all clients with all matters to the best of my ability. With every project I put in measures to make sure the client can take responsibility and get support should I be away. All my clients have their own hosting accounts, so their hosting provider should have been there go to for support. They know that, but I'm the first port of call so I completely understand why the emails hit me first. Towards the backend of 2019, I'd uninstalled the Gmail app and relied on the stock Mail app. This meant I didn't get push notifications, and I was in control of what I saw when I had time off. This was probably, the single most important change I'd made across 2019. Suddenly, I was finding that I had breathing room, I wasn't suffocated, and I could enjoy weekends without the worry of needing a laptop everywhere I went. Although the emails didn't stop, the fact I didn't pick them up over the weekend resulted in one of two things:

The issue had been resolved by the time I picked it up Monday, by reaching out to the relevant party for support.
I actioned things as soon as I could on Monday morning, and this was OK. It wasn't as urgent as it may have seemed and things can wait.

As I began 2020, I felt I was in a much better space with burnout. I felt in control of my mental health and what sort of things triggered anxiety and burnout. But, we had no idea what was to come in March 2020.

COVID-19

As we hit March, and with lockdown happening, I think the world began to realise how challenging it can be to work from home. In reality, I'd been dealing with the struggles for several years, so I was in a great position to help family and friends adapt. To summarise some of the advice I gave, here's a few quick tips to help mental health whilst working at home:

Create a dedicated desk space for a work/home balance. Even if it's a spare room, or a temporary position on a table, create somewhere you go to every day that's different to where you spend your time in your personal life. This creates separation.
Take regular breaks. Stepping away every hour for a stand goal or even for a coffee helps break up the day. It re-energises the mind and helps with concentration.
Set reasonable working hours. We're all human, and quite often (depending on type of job) you're more productive at home, so keep this in mind.

Introducing exercise

One thing I'd always neglected is exercise. I'm regularly in touch with Dil at Hippocrates Lounge and one of the most important things I'd missed is exercise. As a teenager I loved playing sport. Football, cricket, rugby you name it, I loved it. As I moved into a working career, and then eventually as a freelancer, I'd just stopped. I wasn't walking far, my step count was low, and I didn't really do anything intensive. My BMI had slipped into the red. As COVID-19 struck, one of the most influential factors seemed to be weight. This really struck a cord with me and gave me the kick I needed to address this massive issue that I didn't even realise was happening. From April 2020, I decided I was going to try and get all three rings on my Apple Watch everyday throughout lockdown. I decided that I was going to walk most days, minimum 30 minutes and also start the couch to 5k and even a spot of bike riding.

This was probably one of the biggest major changes I made in 2020 that improved mental health. Having that break away from all screens (I don't take my phone) whilst going for a walk in the countryside helped give me that breathing space. I listened to a Shawn Mendes Time to Walk, and he described this as radio interference. If you have too many people/things making noise around you, it becomes noisy and the signal isn't clear, there's no clarity. Having that breathing space helps to reduce that noise, and the clarity returns. It really struck a cord, and felt like a great way to describe how I feel when things are building up. I'll have days when I know I feel like it and I need to be extra cautious with how I interact with people. It can lead to bad decisions without that clarity which is needed in certain situations.

The final piece of the jigsaw

Towards late 2020 I made one more decision, and it was a big one. I'd decided to almost exclusively work on Jamstack builds. I loved working with this tech stack, and it was so stable and required so little maintenance when coupled with Netlify, that I could comfortably take a week off work and not really worry about major issues with databases, hosting or anything technical.

I decided that I was going to take on projects that only fitted within this workflow. Furthermore, I could focus on an area, and really try and master it to deliver the highest of quality, whilst working on something I enjoyed and that had less responsibility. I was very worried about losing my bigger clients, and the business suffering from it.

So far in 2021, I've managed to maintain income whilst working only on projects that are a good fit for me. This has given me a big boost mentally, and hopefully as we look forward and start to enjoy holidays again, I'll be able to get a larger period of time away from the screen without worries of the dreaded urgent call or email.

2021 and beyond

We never thought that in 2021 we'd still be in lockdown. COVID-19 has changed the world, put a focus on mental health and I think all of us has struggled at some point throughout it. I wanted to start a conversation amongst freelancers, web designers and developers as I've had a few chats with others who have experienced similar. A year ago, I definitely wouldn't have had the courage to post this. If I can help just one person, then it'll have been worth posting.

12 Days of Kingfisher

Ryan Gittings — Tue, 12 Dec 2017 18:54:11 +0000

Hey all!

I’m super proud to announce my new web design agency, Made by Kingfisher.

I'm also proud to announce #12DaysOfKingfisher. Starting today, we're giving away prizes in the days leading up to Christmas, including vouchers for Amazon, Odeon, WHSmith, restaurants and more!

You can signup to receive daily alerts and enter today’s competition using the link below:

https://madebykingfisher.co.uk/advent

It’s been a real journey to get to where I am today, I can’t be more proud.

How to Structure a Successful Homepage

Ryan Gittings — Thu, 12 Oct 2017 14:42:37 +0000

In an era where everyone is connected and engaged; everyone wants everything instantly. So making sure the designs you produce are well structured and built around the user is a must.

In this article, I want to look at all aspects which make up a homepage. The design of a homepage has evolved year after year, constantly developing in line with the need of originality. As designers, we challenge ourselves to come up with revolutionary designs that utilise modern technology in order to showcase the very best of our abilities. However, some things have remained constant for the typical website homepage and I’m going to run through some of the key principles with you in this article.

To start, we will look at the architecture of a homepage; examples of a good homepage, and finally at some of my own examples to showcase how I approach the build of a homepage.

Information Architecture

Information architecture is essentially the structure of content. It’s a process which requires designers to balance key elements to the website, from imagery, to video, to text content.

The main goal of this process is to inform the user, but prevent the user feeling overwhelmed with the page. This is done by making sure content is concise, descriptive and communicative. It is also important to introduce a structure that outlines relationships between sections of content. This allows navigation to be easy and effective for visitors of the site.

For a web designer, the ability to carry out an informational architecture task is invaluable. Not only does it mean that the designs will look good aesthetically, it also means that the design will succeed in terms of its key aims and goals.

Planning is Key.

As a wise Benjamin Franklin once said, fail to prepare, prepare to fail. Before even starting the design process in your design software of choice, making sure you have a complete grasp of the website content, it’s users, and the users needs is key for you to be able to design effectively.

The questions you begin to ask yourself during the IA process are:

Do I know all the different groups of users? Eg: for a school website, general public, students, parents
Do you know exactly what content is on the site, do you know what content is a priority for the different types of users?

Once the answer to both of the above is yes, you’re ready to start planning the homepage in terms of content. From using the gathered information, you should be able to give a list of content priorities to be able to work out what’s going to work best on the homepage, so your users can get to where they want to quickly, efficiently, and effectively.

I tend to categorise each page for each type of user into a rank of importance for each user group, from low to high. This allows me to quickly identify common elements from each group, which gives me an idea as to what elements need to be prioritised when planning the architecture of the homepage.

There is no right and wrong way to approach information architecture. Each website presents unique challenges and problems that you need to overcome and sometimes this does need to be done in a creative way. Trying to create a process in which you can replicate is a good idea moving forward so you can make sure you apply things you learn along the way into every project going forward.

Planning Navigation

IA works in hand in hand with navigation. Making sure content has suitable follow on actions, whether that be a link through to other pages to read more or a direct call to action.

Allpress Espresso have a very clean and minimalist homepage which have follow on actions for each of their main sections. It’s a really good example of catering for all the different types of users.

When you’ve prioritised content for the user types, planning the navigation is a vital step in creating a successful website homepage. In my opinion, the website should introduce key areas of the site, and make sure every aspect on the “high importance rank is available from ideally one click, or at very worst, a maximum of two.

4C

The 4C site identified businesses as a very high priority. Implementing a section on the homepage for the user to choose their type of business allowed them to get to the relevant content very quickly.

Jetty

Jetty does a really good job in introducing key sections to the site, basically most of the main links from the main website navigation. This is a great example of good information architecture and reiterates all my points mentioned in this article. The clear headings along with concise descriptions make it really easy to follow Jetty’s main selling points, with clear action text to allow the user to get more information very quickly.

Strava

Strava have an interactive and unique homepage whilst still maintaining good information architecture and very good unique user experience. They provide a good overview of the platform features and provide content on demand.

Implementing Content on Demand

To be able to get all the required content on the homepage, keeping content concise and relevant is key. Content on demand is a very good way to allow you to introduce content concisely, efficiently and effectively on the homepage.

I personally implement content on demand using a particular design pattern that utilises several “sections across the homepage. This allows for the homepage to become a brief overview of what the site contains, almost like a type of ‘brochure’, introducing a paragraph for each key section, with a call to action to allow the user to continue reading on. This introduces a flow that allows the user to browse through the site effortlessly. It also allows for a more controlled flow, creating a funnel to make sure your user browses the pages you want them to browse, whether that be a product purchase, a phone call, or even a contact form enquiry.

West Elm Hotels break down content effectively and concisely, with follow on call to actions to allow users get more content on demand. The design is quite expansive and bold but what is also really does well is adhere to core fundamentals of what a successful website needs.

Building Trust

Building trust is another very important element to a successful homepage. Including elements that build trust are a really good addition and this can be done in a variety of ways. A few examples of what does work are testimonials, social media integration and utilising recognised brands associated with the site.

When you’re dedicating areas of the homepage purely for building trust, I tend to place these types of elements towards the bottom, as in terms of priority, it’s not a must see for users. However, it is vital to build trust and reinforce everything you’ve mentioned on the site, to establish an authority.

Milanote implements a section dedicated for big brand names and testimonials from the press, which really increases the products authority and builds trust. It also includes a testimonial for reputable names to convince users about the reputation that the product has.

Cultured Code utilise Twitter to reinforce the quality of the product, whilst also giving the user the option to follow them on Twitter. Utilising social media allows building of trust with your user base. It’s a good way to get testimonials on the website in a natural way, whilst getting verified users to reiterate and build trust about a product.

Value of Good Content

Making sure a website is engaging in terms of design is only half the story. Good content allows a website to communicate with it’s users in whichever manor they want to. Being able to accurately break down content concisely and in such away that keeps the user interested, whilst trying to make sure the user is not overwhelmed. This will allow you to create an effective homepage that serves its purpose.

Content comes in all forms, whether it be a video, a photo, or just text. Making sure each element you include is detailed to a high level of polish helps reinforce all the hard structural work. If the content isn’t up to scratch, what’s the point in creating a perfect information architecture? It all slots together like a jigsaw puzzle to create one harmonious experience and that’s where good project management and communication comes in.

The cold harsh life of being a web designer in the digital era we’re in is that you only get a first impression once, more than likely this is via your homepage. Making a user feel an emotion is what I try to achieve with every homepage I build. This will help give you that everlasting first impression and getting that all important conversion.

Good content is vital in making a user feel a type of emotion, whether that be through a video that emotes core brand philosophies, or even descriptive and emotive text that gets that response from the user you’re looking for. Using the structure we’ve discussed in the article earlier helps you create a story through your homepage, communicating everything you need to on that first impression, so if users do bounce, you know you’ve done everything in your power to try and get everything you want to say across.

Post Launch

Once the site has been launched, making sure you review all the stats and figures is, in my opinion, another important part of the process. Tools such as Google Analytics allows developers to review what users are doing, where users are coming from and what pages they’re going to and this is super powerful.

If you take one thing away from this article, my advice would be to don’t be scared to change and try things. Every project is different and sometimes some projects turn out to require more refinement then others, perhaps updating a heading, or changing an image to something that builds trust and communicates with your users more.

Analysing what your users are doing via the Behaviour Flow tool is good to track if the IA you’ve implemented is working. I try an aim for < 40% bounce rate with most every site I build. I try to ensure my users flow from my homepage into an informational page so that they can learn about my services, what I do and what I can offer there business.

Conclusion

Information Architecture can take a lot of time for new designers starting out. The web is constantly evolving, things are always changing. So as web designers, we’re always learning, improving and adapting to improve our skillset. Making sure you’re thinking about users in every design you make is a great start in designing for the web, making sure they get to where they need to be should is one of the be the biggest priorities in terms of a homepage design. It should introduce the brand and give users an informative idea as to what’s on the site so that user groups can get to where they need to be within two clicks.

I love getting new ideas and discussing ideologies with other designers, it’s what makes me love the web design community. Feel free to leave me a comment, let me know on Twitter or drop me a message on my website.

Original post: Medium