Recently, many of our new clients at SpinWeb have expressed interest in what our process is for creating web sites. At SpinWeb, we have a highly systematic and proven process for designing, building, and deploying professional web sites successfully. The following is an explanation of how that process works and will offer a better understanding of why we do the things we do and what we are actually doing as a site is being created.

Blueprint

The first step in creating a professional web site is the blueprint. Just as you would not build a house without a blueprint, we don’t feel that a professional web site should be built without a blueprint. The blueprint process starts with an interview with our client during which we ask a series of questions that uncover the needs and goals of the web site. At the end of this process, we deliver a detailed document that outlines the framework of the web site, including site map, workflow, module attributes, and other pieces of information that will define the outcome of the web site. This is the “road map” that the design team uses to design the site. By creating a blueprint, we are able to identify necessary changes and requirements early on before actual design begins. This saves time and money. To see an example of a web site blueprint, please feel free to contact us.

Design Comp

After the blueprint is finished, the design team then creates a design comp. The design comp is a set of image files that represent the look and feel of the site. This is typically an image of the home page and and interior page of the site and is a full design of what the finished site will look like. This gives our client a chance to review the design before the next step begins so that any necessary changes can be made early on, which again saves time and money.

Build-out

Once the design is ready, build-out begins. Using the house analogy, this is where the beams, structure, and walls are put in. During the build-out phase, the design team creates the CSS/XHTML code that will frame the site online. During this phase, the design team not only writes the code, but also tests the site on all the major operating systems (Windows, Mac) and web browsers (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari) to ensure that the site displays properly on those platforms.

Freedom Deployment

After the site is built out and tested, it is typically deployed in Freedom, which is the application suite used at SpinWeb. Freedom allows our clients to manage their web site using only a web browser. With a site deployed in Freedom, the web site owner can post news and events, edit content, manage online forms, post photos, send Broadcast Emails (like this one), manage products, and more from their own computers. All these updates can be made within minutes by anyone in the client’s company who is authorized. As we deploy the site in Freedom, the design team implements and styles each module to ensure that it is integrated properly in the site and that it follows the design guidelines of the site. For example, if the blueprint and site design call for an events calendar on the home page that lists three upcoming events, the events module must be implemented and styled on the home page.

Internal Delivery Review

This is the finish line. Once the site is fully deployed, we hold an Internal Delivery Review. This is a formal presentation that the lead designer makes to the entire team at SpinWeb. During this review, management (along with others in the agency) asks the lead designer to go through the entire site and demonstrate the functions and pieces of the site to ensure that everything works correctly. Special attention is paid to details like page styling, online form behavior, the structure of notification emails, code elements (such as proper title tags), e-commerce functions, and anything else that is a dynamic component of the site. If anything is found to be incorrect, it is either corrected on the spot or it is captured in a final list of items to correct. The site is only declared finished once this list is closed. Once the site meets SpinWeb’s high standards, it is ready for delivery.

Client Delivery and Training

The site is now ready to deliver to the client. At this point, we train our client on how to use the site and manage content. During this stage, our client posts and updates content and gets the site ready for launch.

Launch

This is the moment you’ve been waiting for! The site is finished and is ready for launch. At this point we review it with our client and make any last-minute minor changes that may be requested, and then launch the site. Because of the care and attention given to the process at each stage listed above, SpinWeb sites typically launch very smoothly and successfully.

Hopefully this insight into our web site creation process has been helpful in understanding what is happening at each stage. Though is takes time and attention to reach the end result, we feel that our web sites are so beautiful and successful that they are well worth the wait. To learn more about this process, please feel free to contact us.