A common pitfall many corporate Web sites fall in to is that they're designed according to the aesthetic preferences of the business owners and principals. Your Web site isn't for you. It's for your prospects and customers. Who are they? What will engage them? Your home page is the cover of your book. And trust us when we say, you can judge a book by its cover.
Our technical archtectures follows through a 4 phases digital magnet methodology that includes inception, elaboration, construction and transition. Each phase includes key deliverables and milestones.
Inception:
The inception phase is for defining objectives, requirements planning, feasibility, and project scope. Once the vision and goals for the project are defined, we break them into prioritized tasks by user group.
Elaboration:
In this phase, we finalize the information architecture as well as business and technical requirements. We create visual designs and conduct usability testing. We outline technology requirements and develop data models, if required. We may develop a prototype for usability testing or as a technology proof of concept. Once this phase is complete, a blue print for the Web site is ready and a Request For Proposal may be created for the construction and transition phases of the project.
Construction:
Here is where we develop and test the Web site based on the information architecture plan from the Elaboration phase. The activities and deliverables for this phase are dependent on decisions made during the Elaboration phase.
Transition:
This phase often includes a "soft launch," where employees and select customers can preview the site before "Go Live," when the Web site becomes available to the general public. We also update and deliver the Web style guide and technical documentation.
