Website Design Process Explained
We are shedding some light on the website design process
Understanding the website design process so you can feel a little more comfortable with the whole thing.
Maybe you have never gone through the web design process before (no worries, we are here to help), or maybe you have but it was many moons ago. The basics of web development have not changed, but since the Internet and the supportive technologies are evolving at a rapid pace, there are some considerations you will have to make today that you would not have had to do before. We believe that by helping you understand the process of web development, you’ll enjoy it more and will end up with a better website in the end.
As with many other things, the better you plan and prepare yourself for the web design process, the better the outcome. As that old saying goes, “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Designing a website is not different and definitely should not be an off the cuff affair. If it is, mentally prepare yourself for delays and additional costs for changing the scope of the website on the fly. We are sure you don’t want additional costs, and we don’t want to work unnecessarily (watch this awesome TED talk to see why: http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_ariely_what_makes_us_feel_good_about_our_work
We’ll shed some light on the overall process to help you better prepare for building a new website. We’ll focus on things to think about and consider before you even talk to a web design company, while the website is being built, and after your website is launched for the world to see. While on this page we’ll give you a bird’s eye view of considerations, you can explore each of the stages in more detail by following the links.
Preparing for the web design process
Before you ever start building a website or even talking to web design companies, you should have your basic ducks in a row. It’s very helpful if you have a Brand Standards Guide to focus the web design process. You also should have a good idea of what you need the website to do, when you would ideally have it launched, and how much you want to spend.
Have a look at the Web Design Checklist to help you get ready.
Keeping things on track and on time
The website design process is a multi-stage affair, involving understanding the scope of the project, creating a sitemap, wireframes, visual design, content creation, coding, integration of design, code, and content into a preview site, refinement and bug fixing, and finally the launch of the new site. Getting all the pieces choreographed and working together involves a great deal of planning, communication, coordination, and experience.
Read more about how you can help keeping web design on track and on time.
Improving performance after launch
After your brand new website is launched, you can smile and feel proud as you direct people to it. But while the web design phase is over, the journey has just began. Now you’ll need to think about how to make the website work for you so that it brings in new business and pays for itself time and time again. The good news is that you don’t have to do it on your own. We can help you with analytics, Search Engine Optimization, online marketing, and a strategy for how to incrementally increase the effectiveness of your website.
Read more about how you can work on improving your website performance.