Web Design 3080 – Week 10

Web Project Life Cycle

1. Conceptualization

2. Research

3. Design

4. Content Creation

5. Construction

6. Presentation

7. Test

8. Launch

9. Marketing

10. Upkeep

Web Design 3080 – Week 10

Web Project Life Cycle

1. Conceptualization – Client and Designer

• Meet with the client, find out what they have in mind• Determine purpose of the site• Determine best content to achieve that purpose• What are the client's goals? (sales? Exposure? Communication?) • Try to determine what major web applications might be involved or

would benefit the project. The price of the site depends heavily on these

Web Design 3080 – Week 10

Web Project Life Cycle

2. Research – Designer only

• Find other similar sites and rate their success• Put together a few different visual design sketches (ie. ‘photoshop

comps’)• Determine what suite of technologies will best serve the project• Rough sketch of site architecture based on what the client has

requested

Web Design 3080 – Week 10

Web Project Life Cycle

3. Design – Client & Designer

• Prepare 'comps' in Photoshop & present to client for evaluation• Discuss content in further detail• Propose any web applications (major components of the site, like

maps, Flash features, forums, etc) and see if client agrees• Try to settle on the scope of the project in as much detail as possible

Before proceeding, prepare a detailed proposal including costs of each component of the site as well as any retainer for upkeep duties.

Once client signs off on the proposal, go to step 4.

Web Design 3080 – Week 10

Web Project Life Cycle

4. Content – Client & Designer

• Should be gathering info and creating a first draft of site content at the same time as the design phase is happening

• May involve direct input from client

Web Design 3080 – Week 10

Web Project Life Cycle

5. Construction – Designer only

• Once architecture, design, and application status are finalized, start building the site

• Flash programming (if necessary)• Database design (if necessary)• HTML coding, CSS coding, any other platform coding required (Cold

Fusion, PHP, .NET, Ruby, .asp et al) • Graphics creation• Insertion of actual content

Web Design 3080 – Week 10

Web Project Life Cycle

6. Presentation – Client & Designer

• Present working mockup of the site to client. • Incorporate client feedback and make adjustments.• Rinse, Repeat as necessary

Web Design 3080 – Week 10

Web Project Life Cycle

7. Test – Client & Designer

• Once design & architecture are agreed upon, build out the site• Invite beta test group to use the site and look for flaws, omissions,

deficiencies.• Make any necessary changes• May involve personnel from either side or from outside agency• This is a final run-through prior to launching the site

Web Design 3080 – Week 10

Web Project Life Cycle

8. Launch – Designer only

• Release the site into the wild– Alert name servers to new URL/IP address

• Register with search engines• Watch for bugs and negative feedback from users

Web Design 3080 – Week 10

Web Project Life Cycle

9. Marketing – Client & Designer

• Depends on client budget• May involve advertising on related sites or in other media

All of the above steps depend on the budget and timeline of the project. Smaller projects will not necessarily follow all of these steps

And finally…

10. UPKEEP

• Content must be renewed regularly or the site will DIE.• Up to the client to provide content• Updates performed by either client (using CMS) or designer ($$).