Whether the project is a completely new website, a website overhaul, or extension of functionality of an existing site all projects share a similar timeline.
- assessment of project
Building a website is like any other construction project, you cannot begin before you define what it will contain, who will be using it, and how you plan to maintain it. Whenever practical, we make it a point to have an extensive free-flowing meeting with the prospective site owner to ascertain the scope of the project, how it can be divided into manageable phases, and whether more groundwork needs to be done before we can begin. - creative brief / project plan
This document will cover goals for the site and a discussion of the process, methodology and schedule for addressing those goals. The authoring environment recommended for the project will be described as will the available maintenance options once the project is complete. - building the structure
This phase is the moral equivalent to framing out a house, where the fundamental skeleton of the structure is built. The general positioning of elements, basic color scheme, and the determination of how many unique page layouts are needed will be addressed at this stage, often before the actual page by page content is available. - initial content population
Once the basic structure has been set and published to the development location we insert the content as it is made available. - adjustments for inserted content
As live content is inserted the finer points of typography, color scheme,layout, and taxonomy can be defined and adjusted. - migration the the live location
In order to to migrate the site from the development location to the client’s hosting location, we require full access to the hosting account including .ftp privileges, the ability to create and define databases (if necessary), and the required permissions to make adjustments to the account configuration. - site expansion & upkeep
After the site has been migrated to the “live” location, we will provide documentation on how the site is constructed and advice on how to maintain and expand it. Typically it is at this point where the client will be given access to training on how to work with the site, and a discussion of anticipated needs will be explored. We remain available for on-going support and advice on either a formal contractual basis, or on a more ad-hoc basis for those client who feel confident that they can handle most issues on their own.