Once you have decided to build a website or web application, there are certain steps and processes you need to follow. It is crucial to follow this process carefully as a lapse in one detail could lead to unanticipated complications later on.
Below are the five critical phases of a web-based project’s lifecycle. They range from launch to completion. I also discuss their importance within the overall process.
Step 1: Gather information
Gathering all relevant information is the first step in any website development project. This is the foundation for all the other steps.
You must first determine the development goals to be able to do this effectively. Once you have a list of goals that you can achieve, you can conduct a business analysis to gather specific information about your industry, competitors, and products.
This information, such as competitor features, product components, and industry demand can be used to help you plan your development or present it to the person responsible.
Step 2: Create a plan
This is the most crucial step in the whole process.
Benjamin Franklin once said, “Failing to plan means you are planning to fail.” This is especially true for website development.
As someone who has worked on more than 200 web projects as a hobby, I can tell you that none of them have succeeded.
Planning is the process of taking all the information from the first step and placing it in the context of the whole process. This involves separating the information into sections for design, content, and programming. Once you have sorted the information, you can create a plan for each team to follow.
Artoon uses this phase to plan the features that will be developed. We also create technical specifications for programmers. We also reduce the specifications and give them to the design team to make sure they know all pages and features that need design.
This allows the programming team to begin working on the basic logic of the system while maintaining a clean layout. The designers have more time to refine the final design before it is implemented.
The programming team won’t be involved if the project isn’t technically complicated and requires only design and content. Instead, the content and design teams will work together to create the content and design for programmers to use.
Step 3: Implement and Develop
Three steps are typically added at this stage: one for design and programming, and another for content. However, having these three steps executed individually can slow down the project’s delivery and cause teams to wait for resources from other teams to be delivered before they can move forward.
Your ability to plan effectively in the second step is key to being able to manage these three steps simultaneously. You can plan well enough to allow each team member to begin work simultaneously. This will make it easier for them to help each other since everyone is working from the same mentality.
3.1 Design
Design is the first step in any production process. Without design, programming and content work will not be done with precision.
Wireframes are the first step in website design. These wireframes are used to guide the development of the final designs. They show how elements will be placed on the page. The wireframing phase of design should be a time for the design team to engage in their research. This includes looking at the work of top competitors and determining what works. These elements will be added to pages along with other elements that have been agreed upon with the project management.
After the wireframes have been completed and the layout of the site has been planned, the design team will be able to start work on the elements of the design. They will add text, buttons, and images so that clients and the project team can see the final product.
3.2 Programming
Programming can be done without designing technically complex web projects. Because complex logic can be created without knowing how it will look to the users on the front end of the site, this is possible. You can optimize your time and reduce the development time by starting functional or system development simultaneously with the design.
If there is no complex logic or functionality that needs to be developed or if you use an existing system, programming will only begin after the design phase of implementation has been completed. The programming team will not be added to the process until the final designs have been approved.
3.3 Content Creation
Content creation is the third step in the implementation process.
In most cases, content work can only start once the designs are approved and delivered by the client (internal stakeholder or customer). Waiting allows the content team to concentrate their writing efforts on filling the designs, rather than having to rework the writing that was done before the designs have been completed.
However, this doesn’t mean the content team must wait for designs to arrive. This time can be used to research the topic matter and review industry competitors to ensure that content is written in a manner that matches the tone and language used throughout the industry.
Step 4: Test
After the implementation phases have been completed, they can be plain into a staging area. The staging environment is intended to replicate a real operational environment without allowing access to all internet users.
The development company will conduct multiple rounds of testing in the staging environment before granting access to the client. These rounds are intended to identify and fix any major bugs in the application before the client tests it.
During this phase, there are two types of testing: functional testing and design testing. The design testing is performed in the initial rounds of testing to verify that the design is acceptable. After the design testing has been completed, the final comments can be made to the client. After these comments have been made and enforced it is time to do more design testing. This involves checking the exact designs to make sure they match the original designs that were given to the programming group.
Functional testing switches the testing intensity. Functional testing involves intense testing before the functionality is presented to the client. Once the functionality has been approved, functional testing can be done more easily. This is done to replicate the user experience.
We have found that a more relaxed approach to testing is better at detecting usability bugs than intensive testing.
Step 5: Launch your website
Once you have completed the previous steps correctly, the next step should be the easiest. You should now have a functional, professional-looking, and well-written web project ready to launch.
Your programming team will be the only one involved in the technical side of the launch. The live environment should be ready for them to install the application.
You should set a date and time when the project will go live and advertise it. Then launch the live version at least one day before the deadline and put up a landing site. This will allow you to make minor adjustments to the design and text, as well as allow the development team to address any issues before the site goes live.
After the Launch
The website development team’s role does not end with the website’s launch. Your responsibility as the creators and managers of the web project code will continue until it is closed or someone else takes over. To ensure the project runs smoothly, you will need to manage it and keep it updated. You can monitor the performance of your client’s project and make suggestions based on site usage. This could lead to additional development work.
Artoon Solutions specializes in custom website development services. However, we do follow the process. However, we constantly look for ways to improve the process and make it as easy for our clients and ourselves. Artoon is available to assist you in building your next website project.