The process of web design and development is exciting, riddled with bursts of inspired genius and creative energy. It also must always have a precise focus on the result of producing an effective web site that meets a designated purpose. No matter what the function of the site, it must deliver to the user and for the business everything envisioned.
- Discover
Identify all the goals you wish to accomplish with your web site and how they coordinate with your target audience. Who do you want to reach and how? What do you want their experience to be like on your site? What kind of impression will your site make on them? How does it meet economic expectations? Professional soul-searching is mandatory before you begin the design and development of your web site.
Tip: Use pencil and paper when first bridging the gap between conception and production of your website; try flowchart exercises and other tools to aid your thinking process.
- Plan
The planning phase of your web site needs to include all the technical details and requirements that will put it together, launch it and maintain it. Consider things like timelines and server maintenance, web hosting and updates and how your site will adapt to future considerations. Use all of the data compiled from the discovery process to secure the foundations and build from there.
Tip: Keep the end-users your top priority throughout the entire design and development process, otherwise your user interface may fall short of being an extraordinary experience for site visitors.
- Invent
Come up with a few prototypes that represent the look and feel you’d like your site to convey and create points of interest on the landing page with logos and brief descriptions of your business. Establish a preference for color schemes, fonts and the other graphic elements that will polish your site to perfection.
Tip: As you brainstorm throughout the creative process, search online for examples of completed sites that give you a better idea of your end-product and how best to present it.
- Build
Whether you have hired a Freelance wordpress web designer and developer Mornington, web developer or are building it in-house, it’s vital that the person with the final voice of approval be completely immersed in this stage of development. As the home page and shell pages are created, they all must come together harmoniously and convey the desired impression. Since major site functions are incorporated at this time, like contact forms, shopping carts and flash animations, meticulous oversight is necessary as the site takes shape.
Tip: Unless you are highly skilled in programming, it’s best to at least consult with a professional prior to building a site. Things like HTML and other code must be compliant with current web standards and modified as necessary; patchwork programming can result in frequent crashes and compatibility problems.
- Debug
Troubleshooting and tweaking is necessary to ensure the complete user experience, as well as total site functionality. All technical aspects of the site should be tested from various perspectives and under different conditions to avoid unexpected problems like browser inconsistencies or cross-platform complications. Prior to launching the site to the viewing public, every element of it must be utilized and examined painstakingly.
Tip: Every site needs test-users to poke, prod and even provoke problems; presume the worst of a visitor and try things like hacking or overloading a script, making Murphy’s Law an unspoken rule of thumb.
- Deploy
After your site receives the green light out of the debugging gate, it’s ready for business! A program will upload all files to the designated server and your site will be fully operational. Your domain name and web host should have been prearranged from the planning stages and all that remains on the web site design and development to-do list is a quick test run. This provides peace of mind that all files were successfully uploaded and that all the hard work will pay off.
Tip: Wait until your new site has a week’s worth of live experience going for it before heavily depending on it for anything of great importance; try to keep a light schedule during that time unless you’ve hired someone to oversee the launch.
- Manage
Web site management can be a complicated and time-consuming process or virtually hands-free, depending on prearranged technicalities, however; a site needs maintenance and content to stay current and competitive. New projects, sales and promotions and other events featured on the site will require implementation and fluidity. Fresh content keeps the site interesting and inviting to visitors and you may also wish to designate an area for customer comments and interactions.
- Cultivate
Wherever room for improvements are found, the site should be adjusted accordingly; above and beyond technical functions, the site must be a unique and complete experience for the end-user, as anticipated in the initial stages of the project. Although the basics of your new site may be fixed, the internet and business are always in motion and your site needs to keep up.
SEO is also a constant consideration for any site dependent on an influx of visitors; stay on top of industry and marketing trends and tweak your site accordingly. Look for all the ways your site can be listed and indexed and always stay hungry for more: more potential customers and clients, more innovative ways to market, more efficient ways of using resources and staff and more ways your business can maintain a razor sharp edge.
Tip: Become well versed in the various ways you can promote your site and keep it popular long before you build it.
Web design and development is an important aspect of business development from which a company can build a thriving business. From conception to completion, the process must encompass the vision and realize a dream.