Information Gathering

The first step is collecting as much information as possible that could help in the design process. For me this often means learning a lot of new stuff about the client, their industry, their products and their clientel.

I know more about furnaces, cleaning companies, online ticketing, smoothie sales and the wedding industry than the average person because I have worked on websites in these fields.

It is important to ask a lot of questions and dig deep to find real answers. The client may say they just need a website to sell cars online; when really they make a bigger profit of repairing the cars and the sales are just an angle to get customers. Knowing their final goals help me satisfy them better.

Important areas are

• Purpose for the site
• Goals
• Target Audience
• Content

Planning

This stage of the site development is where you create a plan for the site. I usually develop a site map at this area of every possible page that the website should have.This site map is then used to create the navigation structure.

This process can be quite convoluted in larger sites, and creating a good navigation structure is an invaluable part of the success of a website. A good site map and logical navigation system create a easy to use site.

The site visitors should not be distracted by site design from the purpose of their visit. Site design should draw visitors in; not lose them with a clunky user interface.

At this stage I also usually decide with the client if they are interested in a content management system or if the site will be updated through myself.

Design

The design of the site is the part I consider the most fun. Using notepads, Photoshop and, sometimes, Illustrator I put concepts together and create beautiful designs. This stage is the ultimate creative freedom because I am not limited by browsers, javascript, screen resolution or color depth.

I also take a lot of time during this period to surf inspiration sites for elements to use, new ideas and see what competitors are doing.

Target audience is an important part of this stage.  A online survey site for the Government on people with disabilities will be different than a white water rafting site aimed at young families or a financial instituion.

Also I take into account the clients current colour schemes, logo,  current marketing materials and other existing design elements.  Unless it is a brand overhaul, a new website cannot stray to far from the current corporate identity.

The client is kept involved throughout this process; approving designs and changes, providing input and asking questions. Not having the client involved can lead to disastrous results.

Development

Development is the meat of the web development process. This is where the actual site is created; where the design and sitemap are turned into compliant markup. It is usually the longest stage of the process as it will create the shell that will contain the entire website.

This is when html, css and javascript are used to make the design functional. Elements such as contact forms, flash animations and ecommerce carts are created and implemented. All of the individual parts are created, and then fit together to create the site.

This is when the content management system will be set up for the site as well. This can be quite time consuming, but in the long run will make the site much more easy to be updated and managed by myself or the client.

A successful website is made or broken here.

• If the site is not written using valid XHTML /CSS that complies to web standards you will have problems.
• If the site is image heavy and uses horribly coded javascript you will see performace issues
• If the site isn't compatible in all major browsers you will alienate potential visitors
• If it is poorly designed, you will have horrible search rankings
• If the content management system isn't setup correct you will have troubles in teh future when you try to use it

With my years of experience I know how to avoid all of the above pitfalls by nature; but I still run my sites through validators and optimizers to ensure the quality is the highest before the site is launched.

Adding Content

This stage is simply filling in the shell that was created in the Development stage. Sometimes I do it and sometimes, in the case of a CMS, the client does it.

I often let the client put in as much content as possible so that they get comfortable with the CMS and there are fewer problems when the site is launched.

Testing

Testing is always done internally with validators, syntax checkers and my own personal testing of every page of the website.

The problem with me doing all the testing though, is that I know how I meant for the site to work. This is why I always get at least five users to use the site while I watch.

1. My wife; an average computer user
2. My friend Zach; a highly opinionated advanced computer user
3. The client; and anyone else they want to use it
4. And older, less experience computer user
5. A youth; teens know everything!

Watching the users use the sites helps me see what kind of issues they have, where they encounter problems and if they have any questions. I try to remain silent during this process so I do not taint the results of my unscientific testing.

At this time I go over my results with the client and decided on any changes that are required; if any. These changes are implemented and the process is repeated until we are satisfied.

Maintenance

If a site has a CMS then I often do not provide to much maintenance for that client.

When clients do want to add new features, update content or change visual aspects they usually return to me and that work is put through a modified version of this process again.

Other forms of maintenance are Analytics, SEO and SES.

Site Analytics

I set up my clients with a Google Analytics account, which is linked to my own. Using Google's tools we can look at how many visitors the client is getting, what visitors are doign on teh site, what pages they leave on and use that information to tweak the site.

Analytics are a great tool for site evaluation.  I usually suggest they are analysed twice a year.

Search Engine Optimization

All of my sites are designed to be search engine friendly from the beginning. It is the mentality of my design, not something I tack on afterwards.

However, I am able to work with clients to optimize their content for the best search engine placement. This is not an exact science, but I feel I am quite experienced with it and am usually a great asset.

Search Engine Submissions

Submitting your websites to a search engine is another service I can provide or one that can be done by the client. It is not hard, jst time consuming.