The development process.

How do you plan a site.

[mack]

Today building a website involves a lot more than simple opening an html editor and pouring your words through the keyboard. There are just so many issues involved in the entire process.

Paper stage.
I have a rough idea on paper of the overall aim of the website. Try to work out as many problems at this stage by thinking ahead. Have a clear idea of how the website will work, how it will generate revenue and how the revenue generation side of things will be a part of the website.

Try drawing a rough template for how you want the site to look. keep it very basic but allow for all required elements. You should try to make the template fit in as well as possible with the business plan. For example if your revenue generation process involves using adverts then it would be helpful if the advert area was part of the template, as opposed to being stuck in place later. This comes down to thinking ahead and forward planning.

I usually draw a flow chart showing the pages of the website. This really helps me to work out the overall navigation of the website. Being able to see it all in front of you on a sheet of paper will work a lot better than trying to work out the navigation once all the pages have been placed on a computer.

Content
Content preparation is a very very important. Make sure all your content is good quality. Proof read it over and over, and better still have a third party proof read it.

Building
If you have got this far and have a clear idea of exactly how the site will work then you are ready to start the actually construction. Because you already worked out the template ideas on paper this will help you get started building them for real. To be honest you will almost certainly make changes but this is a better idea then sitting down at a blank screen and thinking "what now?"

When you have a template ready for use you can add the content. At this stage you can make sure you have the formatting and layout correct.

Make sure you stick to your structured plan when building your pages. If you planned the navigation properly you should have no problems implementing the structure you designed on paper into the site you are now building.

Now I essentially have a finished site, now for testing. If the website is on your computer you are able to test it out pretty much as you would if it was on the web. Testing is easy, testing properly however takes time. You need to check your links, navigation, quality of copy. It is always a lot easier if you get a second opinion. Very often we are blind to our own errors.

Only after you have ironed out all the faults should you go live with your website.

Further work
Once you have a website life that's not the end of your job. You still need to do all the directory submissions and link building. this takes time but is well worth the effort.

This is just my way of doing things.
What do you do when planning?

Mack.

[iamlost]

When I started mucking about with computers there was no web (can anyone say teletype?) so I learned to write an algorithm for everything. Helps with my faltering memory as well as being good programming practice.

My Web Site Design Algorithm (expanded for clarity?):

Note: I design for others - am trying to enjoy life - will leave the 60*60*24*365.25 and the millions in ad revenue to you youngsters.

Research:

1. Read client (and similar companies) literature to get a feel for the field.
   
2. Talk with client to nail down exactly what they want to accomplish with the site.
   
3. Talk with client to get an idea of page design/layout preferences.
   
4. Talk with client and as many employees from as many departments as possible to get a feel for what the client does and how they do it.
   
5. Card each topic and associate topic groups.
   
6. Card each page within topic.
   

Orientation:

1. Define the site architecture and linking requirements.
   
2. Layout a site map showing all link connections.
   
3. Ensure that each card is represented on map.
   
4. Do repeated walk throughs of the map ensuring that one can always "get there from here" and can always get back to where you were earlier.
   
5. Correct as necessary.
   

Design:

1. Design navigation links appearance/layout.
   
2. Sketch page layouts (on paper) being as minimalist as possible.
   
3. Keep the number of different layouts as minimal as possible also.
   

First Approval:

1. Consult with client (and again employees if possible) on site map for logic.
   
2. and ease of navigation
   
3. and on page template number and designs.
   
4. Correct as necessary to get signed approval to continue.
   

Initial Code:

1. Static code HTML and stylesheets for each necessary page type template.
   
2. Validate and compatiblility test code.
   

Second Approval:

1. Have client "test" run the static pages (usually ten to twenty using "lorem ipsum" in place of content) for look, ease of use, logic, etc.
   
2. Correct as necessary to get signed approval to continue.
   

Content (and Third Approval):

1. I treat "copywriting" as a separate but concurrant contract. My normal web site contract expects only client provided content.
   
2. Do checks to confirm original content.
   
3. Compile, edit, re-edit, and re-edit text content for each page.
   
4. Collect images, graphics, and multi-media: size, crop, muck and mutilate, etc. as necessary.
   
5. Ensure each card has matching page content and images.
   
6. Print content (not coded) for signed approval by client.
   

Script Work:

1. Scripts as necessary for each page template, each database call, etc.
   
2. Ensure that each card is matched so every page will be generated.
   

Database:

As necessary. Can be simple or very complex. I treat "database design" as totally separate from the "website design" and as separate but possibly concurrant contracts.

First Test:

1. Upload everything to a test server (the actual live server but with a password barrier while in test mode).
   
2. Run through every link from every other link.
   
3. Run through cards matching each with a web page.
   
4. Run through paper site map ensuring each page is as and where expected.
   
5. Read every word and examine every image looking for errors.
   
6. Do this with differing browsers.
   
7. Correct as necessary.
   

Second Test:

1. Have several neighbours over for "tea and testing".
   
2. Ask them to simply "browse" and also to "find" certain information.
   
3. Note their opinions, problems, etc.
   
4. Correct as necessary.
   

Final Acceptance:

1. Let client loose on site.
   
2. Correct as necessary to get signed acceptance of completion.
   

Go Live:

1. Remove password barrier allowing site to go "live".
   
2. Present Final Invoice.
   

[mack]

wow thanks iamlost

An excelent look at things from a commercial developers point of view.

Mack.