Design and Development Process
Creating a successful website is an ongoing and evolving process. Very often the process itself produces ideas and results that otherwise would have been missed or forgotten. The main steps or milestones are listed in chronological order.
1. Initial Planning Meeting with Client
We meet with you to learn about your needs and goals, to explain
the process and answer any questions you may have about how we work.
The ultimate goal of the Planning Meeting is to provide us with the
information necessary to begin designing the site on paper. Before
we begin actual programming we will provide the client with a Design
Specification and Project Schedule that articulates the basic
functions, number of pages, number of graphics, number of audio or video clips and
general design goals along with a timetable for achieving those
goals which is dependent upon the cooperation of both sides.
2. Create a Consulting Agreement or Contract
Once there is a mutual agreement on the Design Specifications of the Web project a consulting agreement or contract will be drafted. Both parties add, change and modify the contract until all are satisfied with the proposed project specifications and cost estimate.
3. Begin Work on the Web Project
Once the Design Specifications are agreed upon, we begin to build
and test the Web project. This step usually takes the form of a
prototype, or working demo that is developed on a local computer. We
work closely with you and create the site based on our understanding
of your input. We offer our suggestions and respond to your
feedback. This is an iterative process that often gets out of
control in poorly managed Web projects. We will provide up to two
working prototypes to ensure that your needs are understood and being
met. Additional functionality can be added at this point, generally
at additional cost and time.
4. Launch Test Website
Once the prototypes have been accepted, the site is launched to the World Wide Web. Often at this stage, minor changes or updates are required and these will be made for a brief period after the site is launched. Once the launched site is accepted additional work can be accomplished through maintenance updates that will be quoted in accordance with the applicable fees for the type of work necessary — text changes, additional graphics, new pages or additional functionality.
5. Monitoring
Once the site is live, we can begin to monitor and analyze traffic to determine how to improve the site and enable it to grow in a manageable fashion.
