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 ($$).