Just like you, we want the fewest headaches as the design project progresses. We do this by giving you a clear, actionable plan for your web design project.
Have you ever heard the old saying, “measure twice and cut once?” This holds true for designing websites. For you to see what we mean, we want to clarify our design process.
001 Discovery Phase
Here we have a meeting in person or online to discuss the general overview of the project:
- The business or industry that your website will serve
- Your target market and the details of who your customers are and could be
- The ultimate aim and goal of your website
What we want to do here is discover things that will make the most impact and move your business forward in the direction you want.
Some questions we’ll be asking:
- What does your business or organization do?
- What sets your business or organization apart from your competition?
- Who are your competitors?
- Who is your ideal customer?
- Describe the concept, project or service this site is intended to provide or promote.
- What is the goal of your website?
- Who is coming to your website?
- What is your dream for this website?
- Is there a strict budget involved in getting a solid web presence, or is there some monetary freedom to work with?
- Is there a long-term strategy to edit, update, and promote your website?
- Who will be in charge of maintaining the website once it is launched?
002 Project Scope
By creating a well-defined plan and project scope, we come up with outlines to specific activities and deliverables (will you provide text/photos/videos or us for example,) along with specific timelines.
003 Visual Design
Usually we begin with wire frame diagrams. Although they do not show any actual design elements, the wire frames provide a content guide. We will also define the fonts (letter style,) colour scheme and imagery.
004 Site Development
Once we have your design approval, we begin the work of designing the pages, developing new content and refining old content — if you have an existing website. Throughout, we will keep search engine optimization (SEO) in the forefront in the design. After all, what is the point if search engines can’t find and prioritize your site when a prospective client searches for the services or product you offer?
005 Site Testing
Before your site is launched, we’ll put it on a test site that is only available to you and to anyone you share the link. Testing is critical. Here we will address any issues that exist as well as test view them on multiple browsers such as Firefox, Chrome, Safari and Internet Explorer. We’ll also test view them on multiple devices such as desktop, tablet and phone.
006 Launch
Once your site is reviewed and we get the project stakeholder’s approval, you are ready to launch. The project is not finished yet though. You should expect further user feedback that will require some adjustments. This should be expected as the Web is always changing and evolving.
007 Site Maintenance
Modern websites are not static things. They need care and maintenance like updating content and hosting software, making changes and fixing newly broken links. Also, we can use analytics to see how many visitors you get, what pages they view and for how long.