Below is fairly common but generic list of the web design and development process. Of course this list isn’t exclusive but most bespoke projects will more than likely follow a similar process.
Consultation & planning
A new website project will usually start with some level of consultation and planning. The size of the project can of course dictate the length of time required at this stage. A good web design company can lead you through this process by asking the right questions, helping you answer the questions and formulating a plan and structure for your new site. An experienced designer can also help foresee any potential problems and will understand the minefield of designing for the web and multi devices and even determine if a site is viable. Don’t underestimate this stage of the process. It can make or break a project, it can help a project flourish and make sure that it gets off to a good start. A lot of clients don’t put enough value into this stage, and often don’t budget for it. A web designer who is offering a site for £500 isn't going to be spending much time (if any) at this stage.
We should be deciding on content, structure, navigation, functionality, goals, target audience and general website aims. At Reborn Media we offer workshops and planning days to help work through these processes.
Design
Out of consultation and planning comes the design stage. This can be start off with prototyping and wire framing or might go straight into visuals depending on the project. It may even start at brand identity. The design stage is exciting, where plans and ideas come to life. Much like the planning stage, getting the design stage right is key to the success of the project. It shouldn't be rushed and ( depending on the project) a large percentage of your budget will go into this stage. There will be a lot of communication and bouncing ideas back and forth but if planning has gone well then this stage will be made a lot easier.
Development
Once the designs have been signed off most projects will enter the development stage where the website is built and functionality is added. Pages are populated and content and images uploaded ready for testing. Depending on the complexity of the site, this can be one of the most time consuming stages. Once the site is built then testing can commence and any issues with functionality can be solved before the site is released.
Training
Nearly all sites will be built with some sort of CMS (Content management system). Very simply put, this system allows the website owner to edit and change the content and pages of the site themselves without the aid of a developer or project manager. You will probably need some level of training in how to edit your site once it has been released. This can be done face-to-face or, (as we like to do) with bespoke screencast videos that you can keep on your computer and refer to at any point in the future.
On-going work
On-going fees and work can include support and maintenance as well as web hosting. Its important to consider this in you initial budget. Websites change, and software needs to be kept up to date with latest releases. Also support can help with future changes, edits or help with using your CMS.
