When building a website there is a process that most designers use. This process covers all the steps from deciding on a website to building it and putting them live.
While all of the steps are important, the amount of time you spend on them is up to you. Some designers prefer to plan a lot before building while others spend little or no time onmarketing. But if you know what the steps are you can decide which ones you don’t need.
1. What is the PURPOSE of the Site?
Knowing the purpose of the site will help you set goals for the site as well as help determine your target audience.
Goals are useful for most websites as it helps you measure how the site is performing, and whether it is worth expanding and improving the site.
And knowing the target audience for a site can help you with design elements as well as appropriate content. A site targeting seniors is going to have a completely different feel from one targeting toddlers.
A site plan will help you create a business website that meets your needs and the needs of your customers. By taking the time at the beginning to draft a plan, you can avoid pitfalls and make sure you have the content needed to get your site off the ground.
Your site plan should include:
- The Site Purpose
What is the point of this website? And how is it going to fulfill that purpose better than any other site on the Web? - The Site Goals
SMART goals can help you take a mediocre site and make it great. Once you know the goals of the site, you can plan around them. - The Customers
Who is going to read this website? Try to be as specific as you can regarding your target audience. Include details like: age, hobbies, income, job title(s), and so on. You might envision different people coming to different parts of your site – that’s fine. But know who the audience is that you want to attract. And if your site is already live, you should include data on the audience that you currently have.
- The Content
What will be on the site? Will the content change regularly? Will you focus on selling products with product pages or focus on providing information through articles? Is your content going to be mostly text or images or multimedia? Do you have the content already created or do you still need to get it? - The Design
What colors will your site be? Remember that design aesthetic varies across different demographics. So if you’re planning a website for cutting edge designers, it will have a different look than one designed for stay-at-home dads (except maybe those stay-at-home dads that are also cutting edge designers…). The design includes things like graphic elements, colors, fonts, and typography. The more you plan ahead of time, the easier the design phase will be. - The Timeline
Once you have the rest of the pieces of the plan together, you should decide on a schedule. Don’t forget to include time for testing, revision, and user feedback.
Write Down Your Plan
I find that when I start planning a project, it can get very messy very quickly, so if you plan on having lots of ways to capture your ideas you’ll be in better shape. Planning sessions can quickly become brainstorming sessions as well. This is good, but don’t let the brainstorming get in the way of getting a solid plan in place for the site. If you find you still want to brainstorm more, then put that into the plan.
2. Start PLANNING the site design
Many people think this is where you jump into your web editor and start building, but the best sites start with a plan and start that plan even before the first wireframe is built.
Your design plan should include:
- Details about the information architecture
- The planned structure of the site
- A site map of the pages to be designed and built
- And technical details like: if scripts or Ajax will be used, whether there will be a server-side language like PHP in use, if you need a shopping cart and so on.
3. DESIGN Starts After Planning
This is where most of us start to have fun – with the design phase of the project. While you can jump right into your editor now, I recommend you still remain outside of it and do yourdesign in a graphics program or even on paper first.
You will want to think about:
- Wireframes and the layout of your designs
- Color including creating a color scheme for the site and how those colors work together in harmony.
- You should also plan on a theme for your site including decorative images and icons, including a site favicon.
- Web design is the creation of Web pages and sites using HTML, CSS, JavaScript and other Web languages. Web design is just like design in general: it is the combination of lines, shapes, texture, and color to create an aesthetically pleasing or striking look. Web design is the work of creating design for Web pages.
4. Gather or Create the Site CONTENT
Content is what people come to your site for. This can include text, images, and multimedia. By getting at least some of the content ready ahead of time, you can more easily start building the site.
You should look for:
- Text – this can be articles, blog posts, lists, reviews, or anything that you want to write about on your site.
- Graphics – there are lots of places to find images for web pages including photos you’ve taken and free images. Be sure you’re using the right format for your images.
- Multimedia – Remember that multimedia can have a negative impact on your site. Make sure that you’re adding sound and video to your sites appropriately. Multimedia isn’t appropriate for all target audiences.
- Content is vital on the Web, and there are lots of ways to get it. This subject listing will give you ideas on what to write, as well as tips on writing better, and editing your Web site. Writing techniques for the Web. Get ideas for content and free content services. Learn how to improve your Web writing and read essays about the Web.
5. Now You Can Start BUILDING the Site
If you’ve done a good job planning and designing your site, then building the HTML and CSS will be easier. And for many of us, this is the best part.
You will use lots of different technologies to build your site:
- HTML – this is the basis of your website, and if you learn nothing else, you should learn HTML.
- CSS – Once you know HTML, CSS helps you create the design you planned. And CSS is easy to learn.
- CGI
- JavaScript
- PHP
- Databases
1. Take an Online Class:
An online HTML class is an easy way to start learning HTML. This HTML class lets you learn at your own pace while still covering everything you need to know to create a great web page. Plus, you can get the lessons sent to you in daily or weekly email messages.
2. Read an Online Tutorial:
Sometimes online classes can take too long or be too structured. An online tutorial can teach you enough HTML to get started so that you can quickly move on to more challenging tasks, like actually designing your site.
3. Study the HTML Tags:
I learned HTML by reading as much as I could about the tags that I found on other people’s web pages. I studied tag librarieslike I had a test the next day, and I learned HTML.
- HTML Tags Library—including HTML5
- HTML Attributes Library
4. Read all the beginning HTML articles you can find:
Even if you don’t know HTML yet, you can learn something by reading beginning HTML articles. They are typically written in a less formal style and are easier to understand. Then if you have questions, you can go back to the tag libraries and look up your answers.
5. Read FAQs on HTML:
Chances are, if you have a question about HTML, someone else has already asked it.Frequently Asked Questions are exactly that—frequently asked. But if you don’t find your question in the basic HTML FAQ, you can always ask your question of other web developers or the About Web Design / HTML Guide.
Source: Web Design Process BLOG
Author: Jennifer kyrnin
Referenced site: http://webdesign.about.com/od/beforeyoustartawebsite/tp/web-design-process.htm