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Branding – Web Site Development


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What are the chief characteristics or fundamental traits of excellent web sites?

  • Communicates the company's product/services at a glance in visual simplicity
  • Easy to navigate, minimal tree hierarchy
  • Easy to read
  • Interactive and well-organised
  • Meets/Exceeds the expectations of both customers and visitors to the site
  • Provides credible, original content in as many forms as possible
  • Provides valuable, timely information to the user, not lots of data

  1. Discovery Phase

    Importance of the Discovery Phase
    Building a well-designed web site involves a vision, clear communication, and technical proficiency in content/graphic design, brand analysis and project management. By pre-planning at the outset of the process, the more engaging and efficient the site will be for your users and customers.

    1. Convey vision
      1. Web site's purpose
      2. Core functionality
    2. Analyse "the plan"
      1. Set objectives/goals
      2. Define your reference point for "Success"
      3. Set your priorities
      4. Identify your audience
      5. Reset your positioning
      6. Get buy-in from stakeholders
      7. Determine financial budget
        1. Construction
        2. Promotion
        3. Maintenance
      8. Consider hosting environment
    3. Develop the project outline
      1. Rough-out your project plan
      2. Establish the "team"
    4. Explore & discovery
      1. Conduct "Competitive Audit"
      2. Explore/Assess technological inputs
      3. (E) site, check the current elements
      4. Legal, trademark issue

  2. Initialise Site Production Phase

    Consider developing concurrently! Graphics and base content are time-consuming parts of the web site development process. When coupling this with a database or application, build a prototype to test the database and application early on in the process. Always have a business/project manager work side-by-side with the database programmer to make sure the programmer understands what functionality is needed

    1. Initial development & structure
      1. Outline site organization and content
      2. Define logical relationships
      3. Determine static vs. dynamic screens
      4. Focus on architecture for security & scalability
    2. Build prototype & assess usability
      1. Determine flow process for transactions
    3. Prepare content
      1. Assign site editor
        1. Align content with standards/rules
        2. Copyright, trademark, legal issues
      2. Create visual components
        1. Define colour palette
        2. Create navigational elements
        3. Integrate media information
        4. Place graphical/text elements
      3. Develop Database design

  3. Integrity Phase

    Preliminary Integrity - Test Functionality and Usability (without final content or graphics).
    Test the application with regular users and observe how they use the application. Document the problems with the application and modify accordingly.

    1. Build test cases/plan
      1. Accessibility
      2. Check page links
      3. Check PC v. MAC, I.E. v. Navigator
      4. Database functionality
      5. Customer support features
    2. Incorporate data integration
      1. Prepare data integration/migration
      2. Provide a proofreader

  4. Finalise Production Phase

    Importance of the Final Process
    With the many changes/issues ranging from graphics and scripting to connectivity and web server constraints, a solid plan and process will enable you to launch the site within the allotted timelines.
  • When complete does the site answer:
    • Who's the company and why are they important to me?
    • Do I understand what products/services are available?
    1. Finalise development
      1. Freeze content changes
      2. Finish development of XML/DHTML/Java Scripting
      3. Check production of screen graphics
      4. Upload to web server for testing for development team
      5. Approve beta site
      6. User test beta site
        1. Obtain user feedback
        2. Refine and correct issues
      7. Finalise database connectivity
      8. Backup entire site content information
    2. Implement/Deploy
      1. Upload all content to "live" site
      2. Soft launch/deployment
      3. Monitor initial deployment
    3. Launch promotions/site marketing
      1. Promote site launch
      2. Add web site URL to company materials
      3. Submit domain to search engines/optimise
    4. Maintain/Support
      1. Develop maintenance plan
      2. Define tracking and evaluation goals
      3. Prepare continuous usability testing