website design norwich, norfolk, uk - Dynamite Creative Website Design Company - custom professional website design, based in Norwich, Norfolk, with customers throught the UK

Web Design Process

There are 3 stages to our design process. Please read the following information to get an understanding of how Dynamite Creative works inorder to develop your website.

Stage One

The most critical step in the web design process is creating an accurate project definition so that both Dynamite and our Clients know exactly what our roles are and what is required during the process. This includes a project brief and a project plan. The client survey is used to gather the information needed to develop the project brief and plan.

 

Step 1: Client Survey - The purpose of this interview is to determine the purpose of the project, the target audience, branding/perception goals, content source, technical specs and communication strategy. Use this client survey* to guide your discussions.

Step 2: Write the Project Brief/Creative Brief - Based on the information gathered in the client survey, write the project brief* to define in black and white the project goals, audience profile, audience perception, primary message and competitive advantage. Download our sample project brief*.

Step 3: Write the Project Technical Specifications - Using the information gathered in the client survey along with the technical standards of your organization, document the Technical Specifications to clearly establish requirements like screen resolution, browser compatibility, download time, web standards and accessibility. Download a sample technical specification.

Step 4: Develop the Project Plan/Timeline*- Establish the timeline for deliverables and tasks for each phase of the project. Assign due dates and resources.

Step 5: Maintenance Considerations - Develop a web site maintenance plan* that documents how the site will be updated and reviewed regularly.

Stage Two

Site Structure

"Redesigning a website is like remodeling your house - you must first figure out what features and capabilities you need and how you will use them before you design your layout, place appliances and plugs, and wiring, curtains and countertops." --
Web Redesign 2.0

Good web design requires a solid site architecture based on the site's goals and target audience established in the project brief. The deliverables from this phase are:

Content Outline
Site Diagram
Wireframes

Content Outline

Working closely with your clients, create a list of all existing content. Brainstorm content that needs to be created for the site. Review the list of content, trimming anything that does not match the goals or audience needs as stated in the project brief. Take time to think about the future and how the site content might need to grow. Make sure you leave room for growth. Next group your content into categories. As you categorize your content, considering getting user feedback through a card sort. Once your categories are established, create an outline of your content and review it with your clients for accuracy.

Site Diagram and the Wireframe

Dynamite's final content outline will help to create a sitemap or site diagram. A site diagram is just a visual representation of your content outline and site structure.

Wire Frames

A wireframe is a non-graphical layout of a web page. It is a simple drawing of the chunks of information and functionality for each page in your site. Dynamite create a wireframe for the home page, each unique second level page and any other significantly different page on the site.

Wireframes include the containers for all the major elements of the page. Elements include navigation, images, content, functional elements (like search) and footer.