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Planning a site development

Provides a suggested approach to planning the development of a web-site

This schema provides a basic structure for defining and progressing a web, intranet or other type of multimedia development project. In many cases it is also essential to consider the impact of the project and its ongoing existence and maintenance on the organisation itself.

1. Defining the target audience

Who are your audience - demographically, educationally, in terms of comfort with technology, and in terms of interest in and preparedness for your message.

This is essential to guide decisions about:

• the content
• the visual design
• the interactional design
• the delivery medium (web, intranet, CD, email etc)
• the technical standards (bandwidth, plug-ins, compatibility etc)
• the marketing approach

2. Identifying the your message/goals

What is the message you want your audience to hear? What do your want your audience to do? How will this change over time? Is seeking audience feedback important and how will you gather it and respond to it? Will content be centrally controlled or are there control issues associated with multiple authors?

Your goals work within the context of the defined audience to determine:

• content structure and sources
• tone and image
• user engagement
• interaction/inquiries/input from site visitors
• maintenance/authorisation issues (control issues)
• desired differentiation from any competitor site
• deadline/timing issues

3. Technical issues

Now you can and need to make decisions about delivery medium. Is this a public web site, or an intranet, an ezine or email delivered publication, or is the material best delivered physically such as with a CD? Is it a combination of several media? Will you use a client or server centred solution? Will you need database connectivity?This decision needs to include:

• audience comfort with the delivery medium
• content demands on the technology
• how quickly content would become obsolete if in a fixed form (eg CD)
• costs in authoring and maintaining using the medium
• costs in delivering the medium to the audience

Each of these have their own technical issues. For example, for a web site, issues include whether you have or need:

• adequate web space on a reliable server with a fast backbone connection
• own domain name and promotion/marketing
• authoring and editing control arrangements
• appropriate server side scripting and utility services
• streaming, database, mail and/or list server functionality

4. Visual design/Site structure

This builds on the earlier steps. The design is driven by your goals for the identified audience but may be constrained by the delivery medium.

Issues to be explored include:

• effective delivery of "message"
• ease of navigation through material
• availability of logos and media assets etc
• corporate colours
• legal requirements
• style - clean vs flashy
• ease of maintenance/further development

5. Initial design/prototype

Presenting initial design/prototype of key elements to seek client confirmation of:

• visual design
• site structure
• user interaction
• tracking/control/client interaction
• ongoing maintenance/development process

This stage often also prompts a client reconsideration of content and even web-site goals, leading to a revised prototype acceptance/signoff.

6. Content gathering

Once prototype has been accepted, it is necessary to stocktake and gather necessary content. For existing material, gain in print or preferably electronic form. For new material, identify with client the requirements, source and who is providing by when.

In many dynamic sites this involves the "bringing on-board" of staff or other groups who have an ongoing role in keeping the site's content "alive and fresh". It is important not to underestimate the importance of enlisting the site community's positive interest and support - involving two-way communication and a sense of shared ownership.

7. Content conversion

Images need to be digitalised and then converted to appropriate size, colour depth, background and compression format. Sounds and video similarly need to be compressed and streamed.

Where existing manual processes are being automated, conversion includes more than simply converting existing printed forms. The entire process needs to be examined to both maximise the opportunties for error checking and other savings, and to provide maximum value for the client by moving as much as possible to interaction rather than batch processing.

For continuing sites, a process for handling future content or change also needs to be established.

8. Layout of website

Laying out of webpages with embedded content utilising approved design template. This may involve members of the site community using established template or standard designs.

9. Beta presentation/testing

Presentation of completed website to client and subsequent testing (including external testing if required). Documenting of any fixes, and also of any extension work sought by client.

For ongoing sites this involves establishing a workable authorisation process, including a means of responding to reported errors or problems.

10. Rework as required

Completion of bug fixes and signoff testing.

For ongoing sites this is largely a communications issue of making sure that problem reports and suggestions are passed to a "webmaster" with clearly defined responsibility and authority.

11. Publication and handover

Involves

• publication onto final public server
• training of client staff with ongoing roles
• handover of control to client staff

12. Marketing of site

Involves pursuit of client's marketing plan via, as appropriate:

• promotion on print material
• search engine listing
• seeking of reciprocal links
• internet advertising and promotion
• print advertising
• statistics monitoring and response

This is an ongoing role, both tracking site performance and maintaining the above strategies.

 

Last updated: 29-aug-04

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