Web Development Process

In order to ensure that you receive the best possible service, and maximum quality with your website, Arendkay has a strict set of rules and procedures to go through when designing your site.

Many companies try to design you a site, but it will often end up being a mess, or badly managed. This is because they have not followed the proper guidelines and processes when designing your site. At Arendkay.net, we use a comprehensive process, which is outlined below.

PROBLEM DEFINITION / CONCEPT EXPLORATION AND REQUIREMENT ANALYSIS / SPECIFICATION

This part of the design process requires our designers to come up with ideas for your web site, and explore how they could be fully implemented in a site. Problems to do with the site are discussed as a group and solutions to them are devised. These plans will then be discussed with yourself. After everything has been decided a site plan is produced (as detailed below).

Initial Discussion with Yourself

To begin the web design process, we will visit you, or if this is not possible, arrange a conversation over the telephone, or Internet, and discuss the following things:

• The GOAL of the web site.
• The POTENTIAL AUDIENCE that the web site is to be aimed at.
• The REQUIREMENTS for the web site.
• The Site Plan.

After the initial discussion with yourself, we will produce the formal site plan which contains the following things as discussed in the initial discussion.

SHORT GOAL STATEMENT - This section contains a brief discussion to explain the overall purpose of the site and its basic success measurements.

DETAILED GOAL DISCUSSION - This section discusses the site's goals in detail and provides measurable goals to verify the benefit of the site.

AUDIENCE DISCUSSION - This section will profile the potential users of the site. This section will also describe what users would try to accomplish using the site.

USE SCENARIO DISCUSSION - This section of the report discusses the various tasks the user should be able to perform using potential scenarios as examples. This section may also include a discussion of conclusion measurements such as the number of downloads, page access per visit, form being filled out and so on as they relate to the detailed goal discussion.

CONTENT REQUIREMENTS - The content requirements section will provide a list of all text, images, and any other media, which is intended for use on the site.

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS - This section will provide an overview of the types of technology that the site will use, such as HTML, CSS, PHP, ASP, MySQL, Perl, Macromedia Flash, and etc. The technology requirements should relate directly to the end users capabilities.

VISUAL REQUIREMENTS - This section should outline the requirements regarding the interface for the proposed site. Although this section may outline some aspects such as text color etc. these aspects of site design should be decided upon in the DESIGN PROTOTYPING phase of the process.

DELIVERY REQUIREMENTS - This section should outline the hosing requirements. An estimation of file sizes at this point are completed (even if they are just educated guesses) so that a brief analysis of the bandwidth and server space required can be provided.

SITE STRUCTURE DIAGRAM - A hierarchy of the files in the site will be drawn up (normally in a image editing program), and labels will be added for each HTML page etc. A good example of a similar chart would be that of a business hierarchy.

TIME LINE - The timeline should give some consideration to the manpower being employed on the designing of the site. Estimates of how long each particular component of site development will take will also be included in this section.

This site plan will be e-mailed to you. The purpose of the site plan is to communicate the site's goals to yourself, and anyone else involved in the project.

DESIGN PROTOTYPING

During this phase, both technical and visual prototypes are constructed. However, before designing of the interface commences, some content should be submitted. This is because the content will influence the site and help guide it's form. For example, if the content is written in a very official and formal tone and yet "fun" and carefree graphics are used, the site will seem very unusual to the user. Seeing the content up front allows the designers to fully implement the graphics and the interface to fit in with content.

BLOCK COMPOSITES - Design prototypes will always proceed in a logical order (in the order that the user will navigate the site). To keep with this, the home page is first designed before continuing onto the individual subsections (e.g. Services, Jobs etc.) and then onto the specifics of the subsection. Finally, any forms and conclusions to the site (if a linear (tour) style hierarchy is being used) should be designed. In this phase of the design process, the prototypes are normally completed on a paper (hardcopy) form.

The design process now moves on to screen and paper composites.

SCREEN AND PAPAER COMPOSITES - The next phase of the design prototype phase, is the screen or paper prototyping phase. In this phase, the designer will either sketch or create a digital composite that shows much more detail than the Block Composite. This should depict, in detail, a typical page in the site. It is more common for us to design a digital composite. We will, if possible, insert some actual content, in order to give you a good idea of what the finished product will look like. A scripted version of the site is not yet produced; the screen/paper composite is a static image.

Once the digital prototype is complete, it will be tested on some end users. The prototype will be shown to a number of people, including yourself, in order to account for individual tastes.

We understand that you, or the test subjects may not like the initial prototypes, and as such we are happy to change any element or feature. We always keep the following rule in mind:

"Don't marry your design prototypes. Listen to your users and refine your designs."

IMPLEMENTATION AND UNIT TESTING

The Alpha (Mock) SiteAt this point, we now create the Alpha, or Mock site. Your prototype is now completed using scripts and HTML. This prototype is a workable example of what your site will finally look like. Once the alpha site is assembled, the site will be fully navigable, but no content will be included and only limited interactivity features will be fully implemented.

Again, at this time we have a few users try out the site. We observe if the site is easy to navigate and is responsive and allow users to attempt tasks with faked results in place. If the users have difficulty in performing tasks, we will consider scrapping the design and returning to the Composite Stage (The Prototype Stage). Once the design passes through this stage, a complete redesign is not possible.

Beta Site Implementation - Once the mock site has been tested and has been approved by us, and yourself, work begins on implementing the Beta site. This is where the site is actually completed. Real content is placed in pages, and back-end components (such as scripting) are fully implemented into the visual design. At this stage, once again, the site should be "unit tested" on users.

INTEGRATION AND SYSTEM TESTING

There are several types of testing, and all are used on every site. This is probably the least favorable aspect of web design, however it is one of the most important. If a user encounters a bug on a live site, they will rarely be forgiving. Testing covers all aspects of a site: content, visual function and purpose. A site evaluation form is also completed to ensure that the site meets our, and the UK Web Design Association's, excellent quality standards.

Visual Acceptance Testing - This type of testing ensures that the site looks at it is meant to. We view each page on the site thoroughly and make sure they are all consistent in style, layout and color. We look at the site under different browsers, resolutions and viewing environments.

Functionality Testing - Functionality testing and visual testing do overlap in the sense that the most basic function of a page is to simply render onscreen. We make sure to test every link in the site and rectify any broken links we experience. We also use the excellent Xenu's Link Sleuth software to ensure that there are no broken links. We test all elements such as forms or shopping carts and use both realistic test situations as well as extreme situations.

Content Proofing - The content details of a site are very important. We ensure that content is in place and that word usage is correct and consistent. We will also check details like product names, copyright dates and trademarks.

System and Browser Compatibility Testing - We always respect the differences between browsers, and your site will be developed carefully so that it is compatible with all browsers. This phase of testing involves your website being tested on a number of browsers, including Internet Explorer 3, 4, 5 and 5.5, Netscape 4 and 6, Opera and Lynx.

Delivery Testing - We will then test the site as if we are an actual user. The site will be uploaded onto the server, and tested in realistic conditions.

User Acceptance Testing - This type of testing will only take place after the previous four steps. This is often called beta testing. We show the site to several end users (after bugs shown in the previous four stages have been removed), and let them loose! This is the most important type of testing as it simulates actual use. If there are any major problems, we will delay the release of the site until they have been rectified.

RELEASE, OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE

Now, at last we will upload the site. Once this has been completed, you can observe the site for real. At this point, you can launch any advertising or marketing campaigns for your new site, and inform the world that your site is live! We will continue to maintain and update your website on a regular basis, ensuring that people are always coming back for more!