There is a lot of information about how a Web Design and Development company will handle a project once it is awarded, but I thought it would be a good idea to write a brief overview of the entire process from an organizational perspective.
While every organization handles this differently, it is important to identify your Marketing, Content and Technical Requirements for any new Web Design and Development project. This will most likely involve getting a number of people from your organization together in a room for several internal discovery meetings and putting together a list of needs and requirements. They might include your overall branding and messaging goals, ideas from competitors or even unrelated companies that you would like to incorporate, and the technical specifications of your infrastructure.
Again, this is handled differently depending on your current situation. Many organizations issue a Web Design and Development Request for Proposal, or if they have a short list of vendors they would like to work with, they send a request to those firms and have phones calls and meetings about their requirements. Whether or not you issue a formal, public Request for Proposal, it is a good idea to write down your requirements and goals in a clear format that any vendor can understand.
You will most likely get a slew of proposals with varying solutions and budget ranges. If you don't have an in house 'expert' on all things technical, you might consider bringing in a consultant to help you make a decision. Many times, however, bringing the top 3-4 companies in for interviews will allow you to quickly discover who you have the best chemistry with and who is the most passionate about doing the work you need them to do.
Just like you did a Discovery process within your organization, it is now time to give the Web Design firm all the information they need to do their jobs. Even though your Request for Proposal was detailed, make sure you leave no stone unturned. There are a million ways to interpret some aspects and the sooner you iron out the details the smoother things will go in the Development phase of the project.
After both parties feel they have all the information they need to proceed with the project, the firm will start both the Graphic and Technical Design of the Web site. Many times you will work with them on developing content for the site as well, but some times the messaging and content writing is done in house.
For the Interface and Graphic Design, expect to see a series of initial 'comps' or concepts for the home page and perhaps a few other pages. This will help you narrow down the overall look and feel of the finished product and you will go through a series of revisions to get things perfect.
For the Technical aspect of the Web site and System, expect to see a specifications document that outlines any functional work flow or database mapping that needs to occur. If you have internal systems or third-party applications that need to tie into the new Web site, expect to see a more detailed explanation of how those systems will fit together.
There are times when you need to do some initial usability testing with these designs. Even though the Web site is not functioning or even built at this point, in order to get some feedback on the approach you are about to build, a lot of organizations will do some basic testing with simple screen shots. This can be very helpful if you are building a complex application that has many possible solutions.
You should expect to sign off on all of these items before you proceed to the next phase of the process.
After the Design and Content Development is complete, the Web Design and Development company has all that they need to create and build the Web site. You should expect regular updates on their progress and depending on the length and complexity of the system, there will be a series of test releases, usually named "alpha" and "beta" or something like that. These releases are not finished products but give you, the client an opportunity to see the work in progress. It's also an invaluable tool to let you see that everything is on track and according to your original requirements.
After the "beta" release of the site, it should be fully-functioning but not yet publicly available. At this time you might do some usability testing to get some final feedback, though the major changes and development work is behind you at this point. You are looking for the last few minor issues and graphic or content tweaks at this point.
The final changes are made after testing is complete and the Web site files are readied for a public launch. Chances are the other marketing initiatives you've scheduled to coincide with your new Web site launch are ready to go at this point. All you need to do is say the word "go" and this long yet rewarding process will be complete.
With everything prepared, your Web Design and Development firm, working in conjunction with your IT or Web infrastructure team will move the correct files, databases, third party applications, and everything else that is necessary to publicly launch your Web site to the correct place and your new Web site is now publicly available. Congratulations! Your hard work has paid off.
This seems pretty straightforward, but a follow up or post-game meeting with your vendor is a necessary step in this process. Figure out what went well during this process and what could be improved for next time. Chances are you won't do a major release again for another few years, but there will most likely be minor releases and the more you can work together to share information and learn about what works well and what doesn't the better this process will go in the future.
I hope this helps you, and best of luck with your next project.
When the Right Web Designer Is Working, No Worries!
There are plenty of web design companies in Sydney and it becomes tough to select a particular one. Almost in all places across Australia web based business transactions are on and it is now necessary to remain present in e-commerce with a proper website. All Sydney based website designers are no at all similarly skilled, the skills vary and only the reputed web design companies recruit experienced web designers who can manage the projects effectively. Sydney is the most happening city of Australia and in terms of business growth this particular is of prime importance.
While searching for a web designer who can effectively design a web portal, the search can be started with the help of a popular search engine. A web development that ranks better definitely can provide a better SEO service. Web designers are nowadays aware of the fact that better ranking of the sites are essential and for this SEO services go hand in hand with the process of web design. An attractive site attracts more web traffic and indeed the visitors find it interesting to check out a particular site. Australian web designers nowadays carry out research day in and out to come up with the best solution.
Australia has been front runner in web development and application of electronic commerce, there are different other Asia-Pacific based business houses who have followed the path of the Aussie companies. The web designers of the country have really done a good job and till date their innovation continues. While checking the community newspapers on a particular day of the week you may find name of a few web design companies. Besides the community newspapers it is good idea to grab a copy of the Yellow Pages to find details of these companies. There are also few sites like White pages which assist in finding the good web development companies.
While selecting a particular web Design Company it is necessary to check the quality of service provided. It is very simple to ask for the lists of the services that these web design companies offer and few details of the existing clients. It is best to check these sites with the help of person who is aware of the usability issues. Thus any flaws or the problems of a particular site can be identified. In case you are not happy with the services, you can switch to another one as there remain plenty of web design companies.
The Sydney website designers give high importance on the aesthetics and for this they have been able to maintain a proper balance of look and feel. In case of any information it is best to dial the toll free numbers of these web design companies. There are different online articles that provide better idea. Once the proper web design company is selected and the expert web designers are working, no worries! Things will automatically become perfect. On the contrary we have to be aware of the hard fact; improper selection of the web designers can spoil the show. It is worth to mention that at present many of the web technology based service providers are offering no-obligation quotes.