Every single time I meet with a prospect about designing a custom website or WordPress blog for their business, the conversation always turns to the process that my team and I use and how it works. I believe that reviewing the web design and development process is extremely important, not only to clarify the process, but to educate the prospect and set clear expectations.
Design is completely subjective. so while your designer will do their very best to create designs that fit you, your business, and your needs perfectly, it is a creative process. Your first set of design drafts are exactly that — drafts. It is your designers first round of options created for you. The first designers you see are not the final designs. It is only the starting point.
When you receive your first draft website, this is your opportunity to use your voice and offer input. Don’t be afraid to speak up if you don’t like something or want to change something. Your designer is there as a partner to help you create a website or blog you will love and they want to work with you and hear what you have to say.
Here is a brief outline of the eight step process we use for most web design design projects:
- CREATIVE BRIEF. In this first step, I gather all of the information possible from you. I ask questions and get to know your needs, desires, and expectations. I want to know what the website or blog needs to help you accomplish, what results you want to see, why you’re doing the project, how it will be used, and who the site is being developed for. The information gathered in this step is then compiled into a creative brief to be reviewed and approved by all decision-makers.
- PLANNING. This step involves the development of your website/blog sitemap, flow of content, how the navigation will function, what tools and features need to be integrated and what interactive elements like forms need to be included.
- DESIGN. This is when I begin on creating the actual look and feel of your website or blog. I will design the page templates using colors, textures, graphics, typefaces, etc. and will present your website or blog design concepts to you via email as JPG files for review. I recommend some discussion about the concepts as well so I can chat with you about the thought process and reasoning behind the concepts and talk with you about any dynamic elements.
- REVISIONS & FINE TUNING. This is where you really start to get involved and we work together to revise the concepts as needed to reach your final logo design. Sometimes my clients have no revisions and sometimes we’ll make two or three to get it just right. While I will always honor your ideas and requests, I also will provide design guidance as needed.
- DEVELOPMENT. Once your final design is selected, the actual build of the website will begin, starting with the homepage and then the interior page template. Then the integration of your opt-in box, shopping cart, electronic forms, etc. will be completed along with the insertion and formatting on the content. The site will be available online for review during this time and you will be able to make changes.
- TESTING. In this phase we click through your entire site checking the links, forms, design elements, and copy to make sure everything is working and displaying correctly. Once the site has been tested, the files will be transferred to your hosting account using an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) program. At the time your site will be live to the pubic.
- CELEBRATION. At the end of each project I celebrate and I encourage you to do the same. Celebrating each step toward achieving your goals makes the journey quite a bit more fun!
- MAINTENANCE. Your site may be live, but the work is not done! For the first 30 days your site is live, my team and I are available to make any little revisions you need and to help you in any way we can. To keep visitors coming back to your site it needs to be consistently updated with fresh new content. You may also have new services, products, or events to add to your website. My team and I can work with you to maintain your website and keep the content updated, or you can utilize a content management system that will give you access to your website’s “back end” and allow you to make the changes yourself.
