Hello!
Welcome to the April 15th edition of Scribbles!. In our last issue we reviewed questions that a business owner should ask a web designer, web developer or webmaster. In this issue we'll take a look at the process that I use to develop a web site with my customers.
In This Issue
- Web Design Process
- Overview of the Web Design Process
- Project Management & Details
- Downloadable Process Diagram
Web Design Process
Creating a web site is both an artistic challenge and an exercise in project management. From the time you decide to build a web site to the time that the site is launched there are many details that need to be organized and steps to be executed before your web site goes "live".
As a web site owner you want to choose a web designer/developer that will deliver a site that is useful, aesthetically pleasing and won't cost the entire marketing budget or take two years to complete.
Overview of the Web Design Process
- Plan the Work, Work the Plan
How does a web site get to be two years late? One day at a time! While building a web site is not as complex as, say, the design and construction of a house, the process lends itself well to many aspects of project management.
First, you decide that your business will be well served by a web site and you write out what your web site needs to do (marketing, downloads, e-commerce). Then, you submit a Request for Proposal (RFP)
to several web designers.
After you select a web designer you are ready to begin the work of actually building the site. A good web designer will do their best to help guide you through the steps that you need to take. Here's a general process that a business owner should expect to participate in when working with their web designer:
- Initial Steps
After you've selected a web designer you'll want to schedule a meeting with all of the principals. A few days later you should expect a written estimate from the designer. Once an agreement is reached on the price be prepared to pay a 50% deposit.
- Preliminary Site Creation
The designer will then create a series of comps (artistic mock-ups) as well as a proposed sitemap. Be prepared to supply content in the form of text, photos or A/V media. This is the time to make changes to the look and feel of the site! Once you both agree to the look-and-feel of the site the developer will begin coding the actual HTML.
If there are applications, databases or e-commerce software to be developed, that process starts at this time as well. Fundamental changes to the sitemap and/or the look-and-feel of the site after this point will delay the launch of your site and may increase the cost.
- Presentation and Changes & Corrections
The designer will present the preliminary site for your review. Be prepared to test links, check spelling and to make sure that visual content is correct. If the site contains applications, test them as well.
I test the sites I design & develop in Internet Explorer and Firefox on PCs, Safari and Firefox on Macs, and whatever the browser du jour is in UNIX or Linux.
Create a Changes & Corrections checklist and give a copy to your web designer. Better yet, work one up together. Discuss the checklist. Remember that while corrections are usually free, changes usually cost time and money.
- Web Site Completion
Once any changes and corrections have been implemented and the project is accepted, expect to be invoiced for the balance of the project. Your web designer will upload the project to a live server and launch the site. At this point you can explore Search Engine Optimization and set up a maintenance contract with your designer.
- Downloadable Web Design Process Diagram
If you'd like a graphic representation of my web design process, please click the link below.
Web Design Process (GIF, 27KB)
You can also right-click and "Save as...".
Parting Thoughts
We've explored one way to create a web site. While the process discussed above will not apply to every site, many of the steps can help to guide you through the construction of your own site.
Next time out we'll talk about the pros and cons of online templates and do-it-yourself web sites.
Coming April 29
- Do-It-Yourself Websites
- Online Templates: Office Live
Best regards!
Ed Moore
www.animai.com
