6 Phases of the Website Design and Development Process
- Discovery
Before we start any designing process we need to understand the essence of the project. A web designing team should be clear about the business goals of the project. Just like any other project, the very first step of developing a website is gathering all the necessary information. All the expectations you have from a website need to be clarified at the beginning of the project otherwise the whole project might set off in the wrong direction. These are some of the aspects that need to be considered. The website’s purpose, goal, target audience and the information provided on a website will have a huge impact on what technologies will be implemented and what functionality the website will benefit from at the final stage. We decide what kind of technologies will we use for developing a site and we give you an idea of how the website will look.
- Information Architecture
Using the information gathered from phase one, it is time to put together a plan for your web site. This is the point where a site map is developed. The site map is a list of all main topic areas of the site, as well as sub-topics. This serves as a guide as to what content, photos or videos will be on the site, and is essential to developing a consistent, easy to understand navigational system. Keeping the end user in the heart of the process, we aim to plan a site that will be as user-friendly as possible.
- Website & UI Design
Now it is time to turn imagination into reality. It is time to determine the look and feel of your site. With the help of information, start making a wireframe. There are many free tools available online for making your website’s wireframe. Designing and developing a new website is not only about the website’s look but also about the functionality, speed, etc. Communication between both you and your designer is crucial to ensure that the final web site will match your needs. It is important that you work closely with your designer, exchanging ideas, until you arrive at the final design for your website.
- Website Development
This is where designing will end and complex codes will be written to create a functional website. The proof of the design we’ve seen in the previous stage will turn into a fully functional website. The development process involves the programming work as well as loading content onto the site. From the technical point of view, in the development process we make all the elements of the website work properly, e.g. contact forms, payment gateways or functionality that were agreed earlier are being developed at this stage. Once we build a site, we load all the content onto the site.
- Testing & Deployment
Once a site has been built, there’s one more crucial step to be taken before the site goes live – testing. The reason for testing the site is to find if there are any issues, e.g. broken links that need to be fixed. Everything on a site should be tested – all the links, all the forms, all the scripts, even the content. It’s always better to fix the issue before we launch the site.
- Launch / Live
Once your site has been tested, we upload it to a live server and we are ready for the most exciting step of the development process – launch. When all the things are done, launch it for the public to view. Deliver all the documented copies to the client and ensure all the work done on your end.
