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Site Design
Design Process
Designing a website is a fluid, multi-step process that begins with a period of discovery and ends with the formal launch of a site. However, for some clients, the launch of a site is just the beginning of a new phase. Such sites continue to evolve and expand over time, and are never actually "finished."
Discovery Phase I: This may occur as a face-to-face meeting, a sequence of emails, or an online chat. I will assess the type and scope of work required, prepare a preliminary requirements document, and submit a quote. In order to work within your budget, it may be necessary to identify items that can be scaled back. There is no charge for this initial consultation phase.
Contract: Should you decide to proceed, you will be presented with a standard, plain English contract for web services. A fifty percent deposit payment is due upon signing.
Discovery Phase II: This is a detail-oriented phase during which we discuss layout styles and color schemes, examine the web sites of your competitors, and nail down the specific requirements for each section and page.
Domain Name Acquisition / Hosting: If you have not yet purchased a domain name, you will need to do this now. I will walk you through this simple process, if necessary. We will also need to plan for web hosting. Please see the hosting page for more information.
Layout Comps and Content Acquisition: A layout comp is an image of a web page rather than an actual functional page. I will normally experiment with several different design directions and create a comp of each. If you are planning to create your own content, it's time to get to work. Content writing is where the wheels seem to come off for many clients, so the task should be started as soon as possible. If you have a graphics file for your logo, I will need a copy of that. If you are selling a product, you will need to acquire photographs of your line. A professional photographer will give you the best results, but is not required since images for the web do not need to be as high quality as those for print. For other types of sites, inexpensive stock photos may be all that is needed, and I will purchase these for you.
Layout Selection and Refinement: Hopefully, you will love one of the layout comps. If not, we enter a phase of further experimentation and refinement until we arrive at a layout selection.
Site Construction: All the blueprints are done, the materials are on the lot, and it's time to build. It's time for you to relax and watch me put it all together.
Review / Refine / Final Payment: We will review the entire site to assure there are no typos, broken links or programming bugs. Minor content revisions may be made. I will test the site in all popular browsers on the various Windows operating systems and on the Mac. Final payment is due before actual launch.
Launch: This is nearly as exciting as a shuttle launch! The site is made public and a specially prepared sitemap is submitted to Google to aid with indexing.
Maintenance: If any problem is discovered any time after launch that is caused by my error, there will be no charge for repairs. Ever. If you anticipate adding or revising content on a regular basis and will need my assistance, we can establish a maintenance agreement.
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