Young Futures Digital
A designer’s desk at night: a monitor showing a grey wireframe layout, a phone in a stand beside it, a printed sitemap on the desk and two colleagues talking behind.
Service 02 Services / Websites & web apps

Websites designed to be used, not just admired

We design and build websites and web applications from the ground up — brochure sites, e-commerce, member portals, booking systems and internal tools that live in a browser. Drawn to your brand rather than dropped into a theme, accessible to WCAG 2.2 AA, and fast on the mid-range phone most of your visitors actually hold.

Discuss a project What we build

What we build, from a five-page site to a full web application

■ 02.0 Layout, wireframe and device check — structure agreed before a pixel is designed Marketing sites · E-commerce · Portals · WCAG 2.2 AA
  • RegisteredLondon-based, registered in England and Wales
  • DeliverySenior-led — the people you brief do the work
  • DataUK GDPR and data protection by design
  • AccessibilityWCAG 2.2 AA as standard, not an extra
  • PricingA written scope before any quote
  • ContactDirect with the team, no account layer
01 The problemDiagnosis before build

Diagnosis first

A website that looks fine and still does not work.

We do not quote until we understand what is actually going wrong. The first conversation is free, and it ends with a clear recommendation and a realistic figure — not a sales follow-up.

Most websites are not failing on how they look. They are failing on the job in  hand.

The one thing a visitor actually came to do takes four clicks too many. The page takes six seconds to arrive on 4G. And half the content cannot be reached with a keyboard at all.

The usual pattern is a template chosen for its demonstration content, filled with copy that never quite fits, extended with plugins until it became slow and fragile, and left in the care of whoever last had the password. Everyone in the organisation knows it needs replacing. Nobody can say precisely what is wrong with it, which makes it impossible to brief.

So we start with what the site is for and who has to get something done on it. A funder checking legitimacy in twenty seconds. A parent looking for one specific date. A buyer comparing two products on a phone at a bus stop. Once those jobs are named, the structure, the page count and the honest budget become straightforward — and the design has something to be judged against.

02 What we buildScope, in plain terms

The work itself

From a five-page site to a full web application.

Bespoke design and front-end build in every case. We will work with a content management system so your team can edit safely — but the theme is ours, drawn to your brand, not bought from a marketplace.

01

Marketing & brochure websites

The site most organisations need: clear structure, credible content, sensible page count and a form that actually generates enquiries. Written and designed together, so the copy and the layout are not fighting each other.

  • Structure, sitemap and content plan
  • Bespoke design across every template
  • Copywriting and editing where you want it
  • Enquiry and lead forms with anti-spam
  • Editable content, safely, by your team
  • Technical SEO, metadata and structured data
02

E-commerce & online payments

Selling online without the checkout losing people at the last step. Products, variants and stock that reflect reality, delivery rules that match what you can genuinely do, and payments through established UK providers.

  • Product catalogues, variants and stock
  • Checkout designed to be completed
  • Delivery rules, zones and collection
  • Established payment providers
  • Discounts, vouchers and bundles
  • Order administration for your team
03

Portals, members & logged-in areas

Where a public site stops and a system starts: accounts, permissions, documents, submissions and status. Useful for members, clients, contractors, referrers, trustees and staff who need something a public page should never hold.

  • Accounts, roles and permissions
  • Document libraries and downloads
  • Forms, submissions and case status
  • Renewals, subscriptions and reminders
  • Audit trails on sensitive actions
  • Single sign-on where you already have it
04

Web applications & internal tools

Software that happens to run in a browser — the booking system, the register, the tracker, the reporting tool. Nothing to install, works on any device your staff already have, and updates for everyone at once.

  • Bookings, registers and rotas
  • Dashboards and operational reporting
  • Multi-user workflow and approvals
  • Works on phones, tablets and desktops
  • Offline-tolerant where the site demands it
  • Integration with your existing systems
05

Accessibility & performance

WCAG 2.2 AA is the standard we build to, not an audit we bolt on afterwards. Keyboard operation, contrast, focus order, screen-reader labelling and sensible motion, tested rather than assumed — alongside real page-weight discipline.

  • WCAG 2.2 AA built in from the first template
  • Keyboard and screen-reader testing
  • Contrast, focus and reduced-motion support
  • Image, font and script weight controlled
  • Tested on mid-range Android, not just flagships
  • Accessibility statement drafted with you
06

Migration, hosting & aftercare

Moving off the platform you have outgrown without losing your search positions or your history. Hosting in your own name, redirects mapped properly, and a maintenance arrangement only if you want one.

  • Content and data migration
  • Redirect mapping to protect rankings
  • Hosting and domains in your name
  • Backups, monitoring and updates
  • Analytics configured without over-collecting
  • Training so your team can edit confidently
03 How it runsFive stages, five decisions

Stage by stage

You always know what happens next.

Every stage ends with something written and a decision that belongs to you. Nothing proceeds on an assumption we have not put in front of you.

  1. 01Purpose & structureWe name the jobs the site has to do and the audiences doing them, then agree a sitemap and page count. This is where the budget is really set.
  2. 02DesignBespoke design on the templates that matter, shown on desktop and phone. Reviewed against the jobs from stage one rather than personal taste.
  3. 03BuildFront-end and back-end built to the agreed design, with content loaded as we go so nobody is reviewing placeholder text.
  4. 04TestBrowsers, devices, keyboard-only operation, screen readers, forms, payments and load speed — on real hardware.
  5. 05Launch & trainRedirects checked, launch at a time that suits you, and training so your team can edit without breaking anything.

The full seven-stage delivery method, with the deliverable at each stage

04 What you getIn writing, and yours

Ownership

Yours to keep, and to take elsewhere.

Everything we make is handed over in full — the files, the code, the accounts, the documentation. Most clients stay with us because the working relationship earns it, not because anything is held back.

Design filesThe full design, in files you own, at handover.—
Source codeYours, in a repository you control — including the bespoke theme.—
Hosting & domainIn your organisation’s name, with credentials handed to you.—
AccessibilityBuilt to WCAG 2.2 AA, with the testing evidence and a statement drafted with you.Our standards
Editing guideWritten for your team, in your own site — not a generic platform manual.—
Redirect mapEvery old URL accounted for, so search positions and inbound links survive.—
05 Straight answersCost · Ownership · Risk

Before you email

The questions we get asked most.

Answered plainly, so you can rule us in or out without a meeting. If the answer you need is not here, ask — we will give you the same straight answer by email.

Q1 Will we be able to edit the site ourselves?

Yes. We build on a content management system your team can use, with the fields constrained enough that ordinary editing cannot break the layout. You get a short written guide specific to your site and a training session.

Q2 Do you use WordPress, Shopify or something bespoke?

It depends on the job, and we will explain the choice rather than default to a favourite. An established platform is right for content-led sites and standard e-commerce. A bespoke build is right when the site is really an application. Either way the design and front end are drawn for you, not bought.

Q3 Can you redesign our existing site without starting again?

Often yes. If the content and structure are sound and only the design and front end have aged, a re-skin is far cheaper. We will tell you honestly which situation you are in after looking at it.

Q4 How long does a website take?

A well-defined marketing site is usually weeks; e-commerce and portals are longer; a web application is a software project and is scoped as one. The single biggest variable is content — sites wait on copy far more often than on code.

Q5 What does WCAG 2.2 AA actually mean for us?

In practice: the site can be operated by keyboard, works with a screen reader, has adequate contrast, does not rely on colour alone, and behaves for someone who has turned off animation. For public bodies it is a legal expectation. For everyone else it is a straightforward widening of your audience.

Q6 Do you handle hosting?

We will set it up in your name with established UK or EU providers and hand you the credentials. We can maintain it under a support arrangement, but you are never locked to us to keep the site online.

07Work with usWe reply within three working days

Bring us the problem.
We’ll build the solution.

Send a short outline of the work, your timeline and a budget range if you have one. We will come back with a written scope, an honest view of the risks, and a price.

Discuss a project Send an enquiry

hello@youngfuturesdigital.co.uk