Once the measurable goals for a Website are defined, you are ready to jump into the development process. But how do you go about capturing the goals and deliverying a finished product? Fortunately, as you will find out, there is a well-defined set of steps that you have to follow in order to end up with a succesful web solution. The process, that I will outline, is what newline Creations is using to complete their Web development projects.
Within upcoming articles I will post more about each of the steps below:
Step 1 - Establish the Project Schedule
The first item on the Project Manager's agenda should be to create a schedule, with dates and people responsible for each milestone. The milestones will usually depend on one another. That's why any changes in the schedule should be first discussed with the project manager.
Step 2 - Establish a Good Communication Channel Between Key Players
Invest into a web-based client extranet/project management application, such as BaseCamp. With Basecamp you can exchange files, messages, assign tasks and track milestone completion. An additional benefit is that all the project related communication is posted and stored online instead of being sent via email. Making your client use a web-based system to communicate with your project team is a challenge, but the excellent UI design and usabilty ot BC simplify the job.
Step 3 - Collaborate on The Website Grey-screen Prototype
Do not begin the project with presenting a design draft to the client. Instead start with an HTML-based grey-screen prototype of the Website. The purpose of the prototype is to:- devise content structure based on the page goals
- describe functionality requirements on pages
- model sitemap and site navigation paths
- serve as an ideal site blueprint for design and development team once finished
You can read more about our approach to prototyping in Martin's Article.
Step 4 - Define, Receive and Edit the Content
Once the client approves the prototype, you need to define and request the content needed for the Website. The easiest way to do this is to create 1 Word document or text file per page in the prototype, naming each file same as the page title. The client is required to type or paste the content directly into the corresponding documents, following the content structure outlined by the prototype. Images and other objects are not included in the documents but, simply referenced from within the text. The client is required to provide the content deliverables by a certain date (this is a milestone).
The content provided by the client should be edited by a professional Web copywriter. Content is the one thing that can make or brake the site and therefore content editing should always be in the budget of a Website development project. To find out more about why you should focus on the Web content please read Grace A. Stoeckle's excellent article.
Step 5 - Develop the Graphical Design
The approval of the prototype also initiates the work on the graphical design of the Website. Prior to beginning the graphical design, the client should have provided any supporting images or logos in high-quality digital format. The graphical designer uses the prototype as an alternative to a creative brief.
Step 6 - Build a Web-standards Compliant Website
The approval on the graphical design and the finalized prototype enable the Web developer to build the XHTML + CSS template for the site. If you are still unsure about the need to adhere to the W3C Web Standards then read this Web Standards Primer.
Having the XHTML + CSS template, the developer builds the entire Website using the prototype as the guide and populating the site with content from the supplied deliverables.
Step 7 - Integrate Generic Applications - Develop Specialized Applications
Dynamic (server side or client side) functionality should be integrated into the Website after all the static pages are built. If the required functionality can be accomplished with the use of a generic Web application, such as the publishing platform Wordpress, then you should not spend your development time on reinventing the same type of app. Most of the generic dynamic functionality, such as e-commerce, publishing, cms can be accomplished through third-party utilities. You should however consider developing custom web apps in cases where the required functionality is not generic and refitting an existing solution would not fulfill the clients needs.
Step 8 - Usability Testing
Upon Website completion, you should encourage your client to conduct as much testing as possible. The testing should reveal any potential bugs or inconsistencies in the structure and content. In addition it should identify significant usability problems inherent in the Website design or navigation flow, that might hinder conversion. You will not be able to catch all problems during this time, however you can at least ensure that the Website will not be released with major flaws.
My absolute favorite resource about usability testing is Steve Krug's book Don't Make Me Think : A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability (2nd Edition)
Step 9 - Promote the Site
If your client expects ROI on their new site, promotion is a must. The short-term approach is to launch pay-per-click (sponsored ads) on Google, Yahoo and MSN and the online distribution of Press Releases. The long-term strategy should include the publishing of RSS feeds and frequent content updates.
2 comments so far
13 Feb 2006, WebtrafficJunkie said:
This is an awesome article. I learned a lot of great tips and pointers. Thanks for the information and keep up the great work!!
01 Dec 2007, mamel said:
just say hello
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