Website Design & Development Approach

Our website process is the distillation of projects we have worked on, jobs we have had, books we have read – and lots of experience. It works well for us as well as our clients and provides a clear pathway for the project.

Discover - It's all in the planning

A successful project begins with a strategy. Defining parameters and determining objectives are the most important parts of any undertaking. These make sure where you set out to go is where you end up. There are many questions to consider at the beginning:

• What is the purpose of the project?
• Who do you want to visit the site?
• What is the most important information you want a visitor to find?

We evaluate what you've done in the past, what your competitors are doing and where your industry is headed. All these factors come in to play as we set out to define the site's objectives, themes and page organization.

Define – Building the foundation

The information gained in the Discover phase is used to determine the site's structure. We tackle the big questions like:

• How should information be logically organized so users can find it?
• What should we name the sections and pages on the site?
• What content should be included on the site?

Here we determine the pages for the site, how they should be organized, and what content goes on each page. If you have existing marketing copy, an ordering process, a product catalog, etc. these are evaluated for inclusion on the site. After the site structure and content planning is complete the content for the site should be gathered and written.

Design – The look and feel that communicates

The visual design of the website is the synthesis of the research and planning that has taken place.

The overall look and feel of the site must do the following:

• Convey your brand and match your other marketing efforts, both on- and offline
• Harmonize with the layout of the content and any functionality that will be available on the site
• Be useful and usable for your audiences

Image layout and placement are planned for as well as logo treatment and other visual elements. Your style guide, logo usage guidelines and any other design restrictions are considered to make sure the design meets with your approval.

Develop – When it all comes together

The site is built, using the approved site structure, visual design and the content and images for each page. Due to all the upfront planning, the development of the website should be straightforward.

We make certain:

• All page titles make sense
• All links on the site work
• The layout of the copy makes it easily readable

The quality assurance testing is done before you receive the site for review to minimize the time you'll need to spend.

Deliver – It's time to launch

With the site approved there are still a few things that need to be done:

• Final checks to make sure the site works on different browsers
• Final review of the order process/shopping cart functionality

When everything is complete the site is installed on the hosting company's servers. Your website goes live on the Internet.

Please contact us with any questions you may have. As always, we give free advice and free initial consultations.

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