Design Process Overview
Introduction & Information Gathering
We start by getting to know your team and your business. Understanding your organization's unique culture and goals are a critical part of the process. We can then begin gathering all the necessary information to craft a strategy that will deliver specific, measurable results.
Concept Mockups
With our teams in sync and having gathered all pertinent information, we move into the design phase. This piece of the puzzle is unique to each project. We may start with a mood board to establish an agreed-upon aesthetic, or jump straight into an initial mockup. Establishing a sense of design early helps facilitate the rest of the process.
Wireframes
We believe in the adage that it's better to measure twice and cut once. Thus, we leverage the use of wire-frames to clearly articulate your sites layout and purpose. This gives everyone a chance to look at the form and function of the website without getting hung up on design elements.
Functional Mockups
Once the initial concept receives sign-off, we create a mockup for each element of your site or application. Together with your team, we will iterate on these ideas until we arrive at a design that is both great-looking and purpose-built to support your specific goals.
Initial Build
With wireframes and mockups in hand, our coders get to work. Once enough elements are in place, you will be given a functional walk-through of the project. This demonstrates the look and feel of the website or application in a browser. During this walk-through, we take extensive notes which will be built into the next iteration of the project.
Built-Ins
These days, there are many elements that go into the development of a website or application. Depending on the specifics of the project these might include GDP and ADA compatibility and cookie policies, embedding analytics and social tracking, on-page SEO, site-speed and many others. This is an often-overlooked piece of the process and one that can be confusing for many companies. We ensure that these elements get built right into the site from the beginning.
Iteration & Finished Site
The number of iterations is dependent upon the specifics of the project. We usually plan on having at least a few rounds of updates/tweaks to get everything exactly right. Once the site is completed we then freeze the code and proceed to the testing phase.
Testing
Before the website goes live we do extensive testing to ensure that it will work across all major browsers and systems. We also make sure the site looks great at all screen sizes. We test all forms, videos, links and any custom functionality.
Launch!
Sure the term "launch" is a little over-the-top - we're not sending a rocket into space after all - but we think it's appropriate given the level of care and precision that we put into this phase. Deploying a website can vary from quite simple to incredibly complex, depending on the specifics of domain names, hosting and many other factors. We will either work with your team or take care of this phase for you.
Now What?
Once the website is launched, the real work begins! How will you drive traffic to your new site? How will people find you? What are your specific goals and how will they be measured? It sounds like you could use a digital marketing strategy. The good news? We can take care of that, too.