Web Site Design Development Process

Web Site Design Development Process – Krishnatechnologiesindia.com
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Project Management for Website development process - 2 stages
1. Determine a website or redesign is needed
Stage 1: Initiate Project Process
2. Gather major players to create a development team
3. Discuss broad goals for the site
4. Define a budget
5. Assign a Project Manager
6. Distribute Design Document Questionnaire to appropriate parties
a. Basic Questionnaire to start the project plan process
b. Gathers basic information about the project
1. Site definition & planning- Design document
Stage 2: Site Development process
1. Build a design document (based on the questionnaire)
o States major site goals
-> Clearly state the purpose of the website
• Why do you need the website?
• What do you want to accomplish with the site?
-> Clearly define the target audience
• Age
• Occupation
• Sex
• Education
• Race
• Computer literacy
• Technologies they can understand
o Major team members & their responsibilities
o Content creators & technology needs
o Defines production issues including budgets, schedules & delivery dates
o Determine approximate number of site pages
o Define & document functionality issues such as target browsers, css, etc.
o Define site maintenance team, have them involved from the beginning
o Risk Management
-> Identify & assess risks
o Define maintenance team responsibilities
-> Keep content fresh
-> Make revisions
-> Add pages
-> Track server logs
-> Regularly backup the site
-> Document & store backups to create a “paper trail & site history
-> Reporting hierarchy for long term maintenance of the site
-> Long-term storage for backups
o Assign a site editor responsible for the content of each page on the site
-> Duties vary based on the project criteria
-> Makes sure content complies with company standards & branding rules
-> -> Keeps tabs on copyright issues
2. Project Plan
-> Document the project - documents to be included:
1. Design document questionnaire
2. Design document
-> Design style guide
3. Mind-mapping
4. Wireframes
5. Storyboarding
Web Site Design Development Process – Krishnatechnologiesindia.com
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6. Flowcharts
7. Project Requirements
8. Resources
9. Costs
10. Deliverables
11. Timeline
12. Risks
13. Testing
o Usability testing
-> Define the scope of the project
• Set up a methodology for dealing with scope creep
o What is the process for submitting additional info for the project
-> Written submittal process
o Who is responsible for making the final decision about any new items
-> Where is documentation submitted for review?
o Who needs to be contacted & what documents must be modified if an item is added or subtracted moving forward?
-> Determine project mgmt team members
-> Define project phases
-> Determine roles/responsibilities
-> Define resource allocation
• Graphic needs
• Text needs
• Programming needs
• Additional content needs
o Flash, video, etc.
-> Set up a timeline for project
• Gantt chart
-> Define deliverables
-> Identify & assess risks
-> Project documentation – who is responsible?
• Design document questionnaire
• Design document becomes a part of the project documentation
-> Very useful for future redesigns
3. Project Communications
o Communication methods must be defined in the project plan
-> Acrobat.com
-> Acrobat review process
-> Connect meetings
-> Buzzword on Acrobat.com
-> Email
2. Information architecture-defines site & navigational layout
a. Project Requirements
i. Detail & inventory content
b. Detail organization of the site
c. Determine page layout using post-its
i. Based on design document & questionnaire info
ii. Rough out navigational issues
iii. Finalize page count
Web Site Design Development Process – Krishnatechnologiesindia.com
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iv. Determine templates needed & for which pages
v. Be sure to include site maintenance team throughout this stage
vi. Define directory structure & page naming techniques for consistency
3. Site design-defines look & feel of site
a. Confirm content responsibilities & due dates
i. Graphics & photos
ii. Text
iii. Meta tag information
iv. Programming need
v. HTML creation
vi. MultiMedia & Pdf creation
vii. Search engine for site
viii. secure a domain name & web host
b. Define & document site colors & fonts in design document
c. Define if using css & to what extent
d. Determine layout grids for homepage & other levels
e. Define navigation for site
f. Go over templates & content issues with site maintenance team
g. Add JavaScript functionality
h. Drop in META tag info
i. Develop templates for pages
j. Check template pages for HTML & Accessibility compliance
4. Site construction-create actual pages
a. Drop in content
b. Add programming aspects
c. Finalize database connections
d. Double check pages for HTML & Accessibility compliance
e. Edit pages for spelling & content
f. Testing stage-either offline, application server or testing site
• Links
• Navigation
• Database & JavaScript functionality
• Forms
• Customer support sections of the site
• Search engine features
g. Upload to a web server for beta testing by development team & others
h. Can release url to the testing site to employees for additional feedback at this point
i. Run usability tests by users not on the development team
j. Refine & correct issues raised in beta & usability tests
k. Upload to the live site
l. Backup entire site before launch
m. Get project signoff on deliverables
5. Site marketing – getting the word out
a. Add website url to all company information, letterhead, brochures & biz cards
b. Distribute press release about new site launch
c. Inform employees of new site
d. Submit domain of site to search engines
6. Tracking, evaluation, & maintenance – keeping the site fresh & functional
a. Meet with maintenance team
b. Define tracking & site evaluation goals
c. Re-confirm duties as defined in design document portion above
Notes: Ways to avoid scope creep & keep a tight rein on the project
• Specify the maximum number of pages up front
• • Anyone wishing to add pages must justify it
• o find other pages to delete or re-budget for the additional pages