Website Design and Development Cycle

This is website design and development cycle of g2blue for my personal review.

Website Design Preparation

Appointment of a dedicated Account Manager

We at G2Blue always appoint a dedicated Account Manager. You will have a guaranteed point of contact to enable the efficient and smooth running of any website design or development project we carry out for you.

Understanding of the client's business needs and aspirations through research and one to one meetings

Before we even meet with you we will make every effort to gain an understanding of your business as a whole. What you provide, who you provide it for and how you provide it.

When we meet with you we take time to establish where you would like your business to be, when you want it to be there and what you believe is currently stopping you being there.

Analysis of your existing advertising and branding media resources

We need to bring together your business cards, sign writing, letterheads, newspaper advertising, exhibition stands and product packaging. All these things need to be taken into account when considering your website design and development.

Analysis of your immediate competition

With your help we will establish who competes along side you for business and ensure that we know and understand what your competitors are doing with their websites. This information will allow us to make sure that we provide you with a superior product.

Website Design Conception

Scrapbook design through meetings and examples

Website experiences and design examples are used to complete a rough picture of what you want the website design to look like, and what sort of user experience you expect. We will often ask you for examples of other websites you like the look of and enjoy using.

Multiple website design ideas, discussion and design decision

We will then take all the initial ideas together with your current branding and marketing material to formulate a group of ideas that articulate your company's objectives.

Anchor points discussed and created

We at G2Blue make a point of identifying key anchor points within your website. These areas form critical points of reference for the whole design process and are considered the premier traffic pages.

Refining these ideas will identify the strengths and weaknesses of your website and online strategy. Discussions will run parallel to our analysis of your online business policy, realising your target audience and their requirements.

Information architecture methodology

G2Blue applies 'Information Architecture' (IA) methods to your website design. This is the process of organising and presenting information to help the user find and manage information more successfully.

Please see our Information Architecture datasheet for more details.

The understanding of your information sets the foundations for a good user experience. We will use this to ensure that every user to your site can achieve their goals quickly and simply.

Search engine optimisation

We will optimise and build your website right from the conception phase with high search engine rankings in mind. As we are specialists in search engine optimisation, we will build your site so that it has the best possible chance of a strong presence on the major search engines and directories. Effective search engine optimisation strategies adopted at this early stage in website design and development can significantly result in lower search engine optimisation charges later on.

Specification, site maps and project plan

A written specification is drawn up detailing every page within the website. This helps us to determine the way users are guided and navigated throughout the site, and allows you to clearly see how each aspect of the website is connected to another. Once the specification has been agreed upon, sitemaps are drawn up showing paths through the site that the user might take.

These are comprehensive visual representations of the different features of your site. Quite often alterations are made to the specifications once you have a more visual image through viewing the site map.

Once the written specification and sitemaps have been finalised we can accurately judge the production timescales required to make the site.

G2Blue will produce a project plan that details each task and the time required for building & testing.

There will be milestones within the time line identifying important project dates to act as our progress guide throughout the lifecycle of the project.

Actual production time on the site will begin when all three of these documents have been mutually agreed upon and signed off.

Mutual responsibility, timescales and contract agreed

Contracts will be agreed and signed, they will identify each parties responsibilities from conception to the time when the website appears live on the World Wide Web.

Website Creation

Design update meetings and milestone signoff

Throughout the whole project we will hold regular update meetings. These will comprise of frank and honest discussions concerning the progress of your website design. It is our experience that website development time is significantly reduced by holding update meetings and we recommend that you allocate to us a Project Manager within your company who has responsibility over key decisions to avoid project slip.

Progression viewable online

Website Testing

Technology integration testing

Unlike other website development companies, we will make every effort to make sure that the website we create for you works in any Internet browser available.

This may increase the length of design time required but will ensure that the website has completely seamless online presence.

User interface testing

A comprehensive testing period is always allowed within a website project. We test your website page by page and also allow for at least a week for you to test the site independently.

Website Implementation & Launch

Website live

At a mutually convenient time we will upload your website to the agreed location. Please note that our in-house web servers provide a secure and fast hosting solution for your website.

Training

When we develop a website that requires interaction by your staff we will ensure that all employees concerned are trained properly. There needs to be total understanding and a way for all users to feel confident with the new website. In addition, we know from previous experience that a website needs to be continuously promoted by your employees on a regular basis and as such we recommend a quarterly meeting with your employees accordingly.

Website Review & Support

Review meetings

G2Blue believes that what happens after the delivery of a website is equally as important to all that takes place beforehand. We will agree regular meetings with you to ensure complete satisfaction and understanding of ongoing needs.

Direct query logging with guaranteed response

All of our website designs incorporate a query logging facility that can be used by clients to log queries direct to our designers and developers. We will respond, guaranteed.

All of our account managers have direct telephone numbers that are issued to clients as well as the mandatory email address.