Web Design Process

The Website Design Process - What To Expect

You're probably wondering about the process of working with me, and how we go about getting from an idea to a finished website. Here are the basic steps involved in the design process, and the client/designer relationship.

Consultation

The first thing we do is have a conversation, or a series of conversations. This is, in my opinion, the most important part of the web design process. We'll discuss your needs and expectations for your site. I'll need to learn about your company, your vision and your audience. You probably have a bunch of questions for me. I definitely have some for you. You can get an idea of what some of these questions will be by taking a look at the contact form, if you haven't already.

We'll get to know each other, and we'll toss some ideas around. Ultimately, we'll arrive at a pretty good definition of what your site is going to be, and how it will work.

Proposal

Once we've gotten all the important details figured out, I'll prepare a proposal and contract. I don't like complicated documents any more than the next guy, so these are simple documents in plain language. All the things we discussed earlier are included.

The proposal will list what work is to be done, how it will be done, and itemize costs and approximate time frames. If I am to handle your domain name, hosting, email or anything else related to the project, these details will all be in the proposal. It will say who is going to provide the content, and what kind of content that will be. It's just documentation of everything we will have already discussed.

The contract itself is short and sweet; I promise to deliver everything in the proposal, working and in a timely manner, you promise to deliver any content or information needed for the site, and to pay for it on time.

Initial Deposit

We've gotten the basics nailed down, and it's time to get started. We have most likely agreed that the payment terms will be 50% at the start of the project, and 50% at the end before the site goes live. Very large projects might be broken down differently. Work begins as soon as the initial deposit is received.

Content Delivery And Creation

Next, content is provided. Any text, imagery or other information that you are responsible for should be provided, and I begin any research and image or content creation that needs to be taken care of on my end. Again, we will have already made most of these decisions earlier on.

Visual Mockup

The visual aspects of the site are created on my end, and are presented for approval. During the mockup process, you'll see images of how the site is going to look, not the fully functioning finished product. You might have minor changes that need to be made to the visual mockup, and you may need to choose between a couple different variations I've come up with. Soon we'll have a visual design that will do an excellent job of representing your company.

Approval Of Design

Once you're satisfied with the look of the visual mockup, you give the approval to make it into a site. The visual design approval is a major milestone, we're more than halfway there. If payment has been divided into several installments, as in for a large or ongoing project, the design approval usually marks the time when the second payment will be made. Again, these decisions will have been discussed and documented earlier.

Coding

Once the design has been approved, I can get to work making it into a real, fully-functioning website. Behind-the-scenes magic happens to make everything work. Any software implementation, such as a shopping cart, blog or contact form, is built in during this phase.

Testing & Review

Things are being tested throughout the process, but towards the end of the coding I'll begin testing all aspects of the site together. Once I believe everything is working properly, I will send you links to the site's location on my test server so you can check it out for yourself.

Final Approval

Once you are satisfied that everything is to spec, the final payment is due. The site is moved to a live environment on whatever web space we agreed to, and ownership and rights become yours.