A Boston Interactive Agencys Anatomy Of Web Design Process

A winning strategy for achieving success in web design requires a consistent process that can be divided into several stages. Each stage has its own requirements and engages a different set of resources. A simple web design project to a complex web application such as a social network all must go through a structured lifecycle in order to achieve excellence. At Creative Stride, regardless of the frameworks, methodologies, modeling tools and languages that we use in a given project, the overall process does not change. What are the difference steps of a web design lifecycle? The web development process may be divided into seven discrete stages:

1.Website definition and planning
2.Information architecture
3.Web design/Graphic Design
4.Web Development and Testing
5.SEO and SEM
6.Tracking, evaluation, and maintenance

Website Definition and Planning

In the first phase of site definition and planning, we treat the web design project as an extension of a companys internet marketing campaign. Therefore, each web development project must begin by clarifying the projects marketing objectives, what it seeks to achieve, who will be its target constituency and if there is a group of competitors that should be considered during the design process. Finally, our Boston interactive agency works with our clients to come-up with a budget for the Boston web design & development project so that what we are trying to achieve is realistic within the budget that the client has allocated for the project. Next, we identify the information architects, web designers, web developers, QA team, copywriting and content development team, subject matter experts and marketing strategists for the project. Then we identify the content management system (CMS) that would make the most sense for the project. We generally work with Drupal, if we are developing a robust web application or a social network. If we are developing a blogging platform, then we prefer to use Wordpress. We are strong advocates of open source and Drupal and Wordpress have wide acceptance. We are one of tens of thousands of programmers developing custom modules for Drupal and plugins for Wordpress. We also identify where the site will be hosted,its operating system, and whether it will be on a shared sever with other web applications or websites. These questions are necessary to ensure that there will be no problems down the road.

Information Architecture

During the Information Architecture phase, Creative Stride documents the content and organization of the web site that is being designed. In the case of an existing site that is being redesigned, we create an inventory of existing content, along with documenting the inventory of new content and changes in existing content. This allows us to create a unique content architecture which differentiate our services from other graphic design agencies. Using site prototypes and wireframes, we begin to articulate a navigational structure and a user interface for the site. The content prototypes allow us to engage users to test the sites navigation and how it works with the sites content. This process allows our graphic designers to develop relations between how the site looks and how the navigation interface supports the information design. Good prototyping demands that it is flexible, especially in its early stages: the low level of complexity in the site prototype prevents that the Creative Strides interactive design team to become too invested in one design at the expense of exploring better alternatives.

Web Design/Graphic Design

This stage takes the wireframes developed in the information architecture phase and begins to create a visual design that will be aesthetically pleasing and functional at the same time. Illustrations, photography, graphics and video content for the website are commissioned and created here at our Boston office. Once the initial mockups are created, they are given to the client for comment and feedback. Once the feedback is received, the design goes through several iterations to achieve perfection.

Web Development and Testing

The design is translated into templates in the web development phase. The process is called theming in Drupal jargon. Because Creative Stride provides interactive design solutions to government agencies and educational institutions, we strive for web accessibility. This means that the web pages are Section 508 compliant. Section 508 is an important federal standard to measure the accessibility of a website. We validate our pages and the content throughout the development process to ensure that the pages are accessible to all users. We use the guidelines and techniques developed and maintained by the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). If the site require interface with other applications or database, that integration is also performed during this stage. Finally, the site is tested using a wide range of procedures: functional testing ,usability testing, load testing, etc.

Online Marketing: SEO and SEM

There is little use of having a site if others cannot find it. Creative Stride uses a wide range of on-page and off-page SEO techniques to promote your site. We submit your site to hundreds of directories and to all major search-engines. For your internet marketing strategy to be successful, it is vital your site to rank high in the search engines, to leverage social media and pay per click advertising, and to make sure your website turns visitors into leads and sales. If you dont successfully apply these strategies, then your customers will go to your competitors instead. Our online marketing team works with you to provide a winning strategy.

Tracking, Evaluation, and Maintenance

It is necessary that your site be updated and maintained at a regular basis. Updating of content, checking for broken links, fine tuning keywords in your page titles to improve your sites visibility on the web should all be addressed regularly. There are a number of tools such as Google Analytics that we use to track the performance of your site. These tools help us furnish you with data analysis and identify trends in your user activity. What keywords are your users searching to reach your site? From pages are the entering and leaving your site? The pages where they exit should be analyzed closely to see if any improvements are necessary in terms of content or structure of the pages. Finally, it is important to back-up your site frequently to ensure that your data is secure in case of a server disaster. We automate this process if you are hosting your site on our recommended infrastructure.