Step One – Information Gathering

In order to build a successful website, we depend on critical information to give us a true understanding of what practical functions your desire in a site as well as your ultimate website goals.

Some things to consider when it comes to Gathering Information for your project:

• What is the purpose of this site? What information would you like to provide? Are you promoting a service or selling a product?
• What do you hope to accomplish through this site?
• Who are you trying to reach with this site? Who is your ideal customer/audience?

Step Two – Planning

Taking the information we’ve learned in Step One, we can begin to develop a site map and wireframes to begin the process of navigation and flow. Wireframes allow us to lay out individual pages in preparation for the art comps to follow. This allows our clients to provide valuable feedback on the organization of content before the site is designed.

• What’s a site map? It’s a list of the main pages in the navigation, like a Table of Contents, helping us know where all of the content will go.
• What’s a wireframe? They are visual representations of the website in terms of content and space on the page, helping us determine the perfect composition.

During the planning process, we will work with you to determine the best technologies for your unique site, like shopping carts, forms or jQuery, etc…

Step Three – Design

Now the fun starts! This is when we start focusing on the aesthetics of the site – color palette, fonts, images and more. Knowledge of your target audience guides the direction of design. Should your site be plain and information heavy or abstract, edgy and fun?

Here we will integrate your logo and branding identity. You will be given the opportunity to comment on and approve any images and content along the way. Open communication is important during the design phase to ensure that we are being good stewards of time and resources and to avoid any costly backtracking and rebuilding.

Step Four – Development

Construction is now underway. Your approved design will become a functional development site that you can navigate and approve prior to publishing. With a link we’ll provide, you can follow along and check in on progress.

Step Five – Testing & Launch

During this step, your designer and programmer will begin testing the functionality of your site, checking browser compatibility, forms, shopping carts, screen resolutions and platforms.

With your final approval, it’s time to launch the site. Once web hosting is set up and the site is uploaded to the server, one last run through will take place.

Step Six – Maintenance

It’s important to keep content fresh on your site. Regular website maintenance will ensure that your visitors find valuable information and a reason to return.