Website designers have many different ways of starting a new website design project. Here is my current approach.

There is something quite exciting about the blank canvas of a new website design, I love structuring the first couple of divs for the website's structure. However before that there has been fairly long and thorough process.

The process I take with a new website design project:

Tendering

1. Meet with client - get a real feel for them and their business. Where is the business headed? What are their expectations?
2. Write a scope document - As part of the tendering stage this is a check that I have understood what the client wants and for them to evaluate us and our quotation.

Pre-production

1. Second meeting - If required we may meet up again after our quote has been accepted. This step usually depends on the scale of website. If we do meet up this is usually to drum out the finer details of the project.
2. Website visitor expectations brain storming session - This is a fun part of the process, putting yourself in the shoes of a visitor to the new website and answering the following questions.
1. Why did I come here? 
2. What do I want to see when I visit this website to make me feel comfortable?
3. What information do I need to make a decision to take my visit further?
4. What possible objections would I have for using this company or its product/service?
3. Website structure - After the brain storm session I put the website structure together. I decide the key pages along with the important elements on each page.
4. Over to visual design - With the website structure created I then either begin the visual design process myself or pass it on to another designer depending on resource requirements. These visuals will then be sent to the client for them to collaborate with us on.

Production

1. The build - I then start with building the website. Coding the HTML and CSS by hand with FireFox on another monitor which I refresh throughout to view my progress. I regularly check the site in 3 other browsers to keep everything compatible, better to spot bugs as they occur rather than facing them all at the end.
   Feedback may be sought during this process from our client to make sure everything is on track.
1. Persual of copy and content - This is a quick sub item to "The build" I spend some of this time requesting the neccessary content from our client and waiting to receive it.
2. They're watching us - In the back of my mind at this stage I am aware that the site maybe being viewed by our client from the client server. Some have told me how much they enjoy refreshing their page and watching the website coming together.
3. What do you think? - If another designer designed the visual I pass it to them for their feedback. Usually there is a small tweak to fix. Then I send our client an e-mail telling them that the website is ready for them to check through.

Post-production

1. Go live! - After everything has been checked through and approved it is time to upload the new website to the server. This is the most rewarding part of it all.
2. Customer satisfaction - I always give my best and try to make our client as satisfied as possible, so for me it is good to catch up with a client a couple of weeks to see how things have gone.

Last update : 26-10-2007 15:46

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