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At the beginning of each
project, the client's requirements can be assessed, either by
meeting with them in person or by discussing their aims on the
telephone. This initial interaction is of utmost significance
as this process enables understanding details about the site
- such as its audience, its aims, the design and technical parameters
- as well as defining the project's timescale, the resources
needed and the cost of production.
Understanding and following the steps (in order listed) mentioned
below, can help significantly in creating a site that is relevant
and engaging:
Defining the purpose:
The first step in producing an effective web-site
is to define your purpose. There can be many uses
for a web-site, if the client is not really sure
what the web-site is about, then visitors to the
web-site will have no idea what the site is for
and will have no reason to return. Ideally Visitors
should be able to tell from viewing the first page
or two what the web site is about.
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Defining your target
audience/users: As much as one may wish it could,
your site may not appeal to everyone. Hence it is
advisable to choose a particular segment of the
population and focus all efforts on attracting and
engaging these users. A clear user/audience profile
can considerably help develop a design strategy
that communicates effectively to the people you
want your site to reach.
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Questionnaire &
Interviews: Input from users can provide significant
help towards creating a site that is relevant and
engaging. Ask users for feedback on the quality
of your ideas, and ask them to contribute ideas.
The Web provides a unique opportunity to quickly
gather specific information from users from distant
locations. Survey Questionnaire & Interviews
are some of widely used methods for gathering input
from potential users.
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Task Analysis:
A task analysis is the first step in charting the
process of how a user moves through the site. It
is a study of actions and/or cognitive processes
that a user is required to do to achieve a task.
It can also provide a clear insight into the strengths
and shortcomings in the information architecture
of a particular web-site.
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Identify Content/Content
Inventory: In the user/audience analysis, users
may be asked to rate content according to their
level of interest in them. This feedback can be
used to identify the information content most suitable
and interesting to the users.
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Schedule Time and
Resources: Create a schedule/timeline to help
ensure that you meet your creative and development
deadline. Identify skillset of individual team members
and assign work accordingly to the design and development
team.
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Production/Development:
After a schedule is prepared the creative stage
begins and a set of design trials is produced. These
interfaces (designs) may show several different
creative approaches to the design, containing enough
visual information to give a clear idea of the web-site's
functionality as well as look and feel. Once the
'look and feel' has been approved, full programming
and development of the web-site begins.
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Launch: When the
design and development process is complete and the
site has been thoroughly tested, the files are uploaded
to the client's server and the site goes live. If
required, copies of all files and documents may
be provided to the client on CD-ROM.
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