Library reference
What a blueprint is made of, the page patterns inside them, and the kinds of site the library doesn’t cover yet.
How the library fits together
A website type is made of pages
- HomeServicesPricesAboutWebsite type a site patternThe structure of a whole kind of site: which pages, in what order, around which action.
- Page patternOne kind of page many sites need, top to bottom.
- What happens nextStepTime per stepCost per stepSection a moduleOne part of a page with one job, and the content it needs.
Your brief changes it, and the result is your plan
- HomeHomeVariantThe same pattern, changed by a different brief. Not a new pattern.
- ProofRegistration+ number, linked to the registerField rulesWhat a kind of business must show, whatever the site looks like. They will add requirements, never change the structure; still being worked out, so not applied here yet.
pages:home: 8 sectionsboiler-repair: …open: 5 questionsYour site plan project IAOne project’s pages and sections, as a file Design and Build read.
What the badges mean
- No badge
- Built in code and tested. A pattern that also runs as code and has been tested. Two do so far; the rest are reasoned, not built. The line under the name says which part is built.
- Untested
- Reasoned, not built. Worked out from research and real briefs. No site has been built from it yet, so treat it as reasoning to check, not a tested template.
- Not in the library
- Came up in real briefs. No pattern yet, and no page.
I need one page that answers… 7
Seven kinds of page that turn up across many sites, drawn as they sit on a phone. Each opens with the question a visitor brings to it.
- UntestedService page“Do you do exactly this, what will it cost, and what happens if I go ahead?” Turn a general “they do this kind of thing” into “they do my thing, at roughly this price, like this”.Reasoned, not builtUsed by Trades, Advisers, Shops
Sections Item summary, Prices, What happens next, Who you’ll deal with, Proof and 3 more - UntestedPrices page“What will it cost me, and what’s included?” Let someone answer “can I afford this?” before they contact anyone.Reasoned, not builtUsed by Trades, Advisers, Shops, Software product
Sections Prices, On today, Questions people ask, Main action - UntestedTeam and person pages“Who will I actually deal with, and can I check them?” Replace “a firm” with named people the visitor can recognize, verify and choose.Reasoned, not builtUsed by Advisers, Trades, Shops, Portfolio
Sections Who you’ll deal with, Proof, Main action - Case study or project page“Have they done something like mine, and how did it go?” Show one finished piece of work: what it was, what this business did, how, and what changed.Built in code (as the portfolio project page)Used by Portfolio, Trades, Advisers, Software product
Sections Item summary, Pictures of the real thing, Who did what, What happens next, What changed and 2 more - UntestedItem page“Is this the one, and how do I get it?” Give one property, room, tour, vehicle or product everything needed to decide, and one action.Reasoned, not builtUsed by Listings
Sections Item summary, Pictures of the real thing, The facts, Dates and booking, How to find us and 2 more - UntestedLocation page“Is this branch near me, open now, and does it do what I need?” Give one premises its hours, address, services and contact.Reasoned, not builtUsed by Shops, Advisers
Sections Open now, How to find us, Services, Who you’ll deal with, Main action - UntestedEnquiry, quote or booking page“How do I ask, and what happens after I do?” Take the action with as little effort as the business can manage, then say clearly what happens next.Reasoned, not builtUsed by Trades, Advisers, Shops, Listings, Portfolio
Sections The form, What happens next, Main action, It’s sent
Not in the library yet 6
These came up in real briefs and aren’t covered. Each says what’s nearest and what research would have to exist first. The drawings show what a future pattern would have to do; none is ready.
- Not in the libraryOnline shopA visitor finds a product, puts it in a basket and pays, without having to ask anyone.Why it isn’t here Its own page types (basket, checkout) and its own way of acting, so it would be a pattern of its own. Only 2 of the 118 briefs we studied were online shops, too few to go on.
Seen in a clothing label selling by delivery, an olive-oil producer exporting
Nearest today Listings, rooms and tours (the item page holds a product); Shops, cafés and venues for a shop with a counter
Needs first more shop briefs; a real shop to build from; product-page research applied to small shops - Not in the libraryUniversity, school or course providerA prospective student compares programs, then applies to one. Parents, staff and funders each find their own way in.Why it isn’t here Programs behave like listings (a page each, “apply” as the action), but these sites serve several audiences with different tasks, which the library can’t yet structure.
Seen in a private university, a coding bootcamp, a language school
Nearest today Item page for a program; Enquiry page for applications
Needs first an “apply” action; a way to serve several audiences, with evidence; education’s field rules (accreditation only if held; outcomes with cohort and date) - Not in the libraryCharity or nonprofitThree audiences on one site, each finding its own action without wading through the others’.Why it isn’t here Three audiences with three different actions on one site, and an impact story to tell. Only 3 of the briefs we studied were charities or funded projects.
Seen in a food bank (get help, volunteer, donate), a youth charity courting funders
Nearest today none
Needs first more charity briefs; donate and volunteer actions; a way to serve several audiences - Not in the libraryEvents and programsA visitor sees what’s on by date and registers for one event.Why it isn’t here A dated program with registration. Only one brief we studied needed it.
Seen in a municipal cultural center, a venue whose draw is what’s on
Nearest today Shops, cafés and venues
Needs first more event briefs; a dated version of the item page - Not in the libraryCareers siteA job-seeker finds a role and applies, on a path kept apart from the firm’s customers.Why it isn’t here Usually a second audience on a firm’s site rather than a site of its own, which the library can’t yet structure.
Seen in a call center recruiting language speakers
Nearest today none
Needs first a way to serve several audiences; an “apply” action - Not in the libraryPublic service and task-first sitesSomeone who came to do one task finds it on the first screen, not a pitch.Why it isn’t here The home page is a list of tasks, not a pitch. GOV.UK and the NHS service manual are the sources; there’s no public-service example here yet.
Seen in a GP practice whose patients come to do one of five tasks
Nearest today Advisers, practices and clinics (the GP is a partial fit)
Needs first a real public-service example; public-service field rules