What is your web design workflow?

[BakedBeans]

So, you've got a client who wants a website built. How do you go about getting it from the client to the internet? How do you get the ball rolling in your head?

Are you a "get stuck in guy" and get a design into photoshop/dreamweaver/flash asap so that your creative juices can start flowing or do you sit down with your client, go over what they need, what they like and then jot it down on paper (maybe even a full design on paper etc) then build

What is your workflow?
what is your approach?

 

[deepy]

I start by getting an extensive list of the clients needs in terms of functionality. Then I talk about the actual design and ask if theres anything in particular they want from the design - also if they've seen any other websites with design features they particularly like.
Then I do a quick mock-up in photoshop, show the client and make any changes if asked.
Then i quickly convert this into xhtml to give the client a feel of the website.
Once all is good I set about writing the scripts for the website.
Then its all finished off with an evaluation followed by any changes that are needed.

 

[frankblundt]

A large chunk of my workflow takes place before i go anywhere near the Mac.
This is a scoping brief i put together for the client for a proposed winery site:

1. Establish who the site's visitors are likely to be

What is the current knowledge of physical visitors to the winery?
What is the current knowledge of those who haven't visited the winery but might?
What is the current knowledge of those who aren't likely to visit the winery but might visit the website and still be of value?

2. Establish visitor groupings

What are the largest / most frequent groupings of likely visitors to the website?

Tourists

• International / Domestic
• English Speaking / Not
• Have / Haven't visited winery
• Winery / Restaurant / both
• Unlikely to visit / may visit
• Purchase - online / in situ / not
• General wine knowledge level?
• NZ wine knowledge level?

Conferencers / Functioners

• International/Domestic
• Corporate/Private
• New/Returning


What other visitors might the site get (including those that are not necessarily attractive)?

• Students
• Cheap drunks
• Time-wasters

3. Establish each visitor groupings' needs

What will each of these groupings need / want to get from the site?

• Geographical location
• Non-english translations
• Winery attractions
• Prices
• Package deals
• Wine Trail deals
• VIP Club membership
• Newsletter subscription
• Non-winery activities
• On-line purchasing
• Wine education material
• Function info

4. Establish company wants

What does the company want to get from visitors as a result of their visit to the site? (ranked in order of importance)

• Function bookings
• Restaurant bookings
• Winery visits
• On-line purchasing
• Improved knowledge of visitors and their needs
• Decreased customer service requirements
• Increased loyalty to the brands
• Increased visitor interest in NZ wine
• Increased visitor interest in NZ

How will each of these help make money or decrease costs for the company?

5. Develop pathways to get from visitor needs to company wants

How will the site lead visitors from what they want to what we want?
How can this be done unobtrusively/invisibly?
How can unattractive visitors be redirected / supported, inoffensively / usefully?
Are there any additional unconscious needs that can visitors can be surprised with?

6. Develop a site structure and content map

This should arise naturally out of the information garnered above. It is critical that every element of the site serves a visitor need first and a company want second, as it is the visitors who must decide to visit the site, control the nature and duration of their visit to the site and the decision to return subsequently.

7. Develop a site design

The site's visual design and copy needs to

• reflect the core values visitors expect
• be simple to understand
• be simple for each user group to find what they want
• be accessible to visitors with a wide range of abilities
- Visually impaired / color blind

The copy (including button titles) needs to

• be simple to understand
• have a clear hierarchy from title > subtitle > body text > notes etc. for easy page scanning
• be "chunked" for easy screen reading
• be accessible to visitors with a wide range of abilities
- Non / Limited / International English speakers

The technical site design needs to

• be indexable by search engines
• be easily found by users of search engines
• produce meaningful and attractive results to search engine queries
• be simple to navigate
• support a wide range of web browsing technologies
- Older web browsers
- Non-Javascript / Flash
- Small screens
- Text readers (for blind/visually impaired visitors)
• be print-friendly and self-contained when printed


All three areas of the design need to be worked on together to work together