The Website Design and Development Process

Every valuable web project poses unique challenges, but the overall process of developing a complex web site generally follows six major stages that you should think through before crafting your final project planning and proposal documents:

1.  Definition and planning
2. Information architecture
3.  Design
4.  Construction
5. Site trading
6. Maintenance

Developing a large web site is a process that may have far-reaching budgetary, personnel, and public relations consequences for an organization, both during the website development and long after its deployment. Too many web sites begin life as ad hoc efforts, created by small interest groups working in segregation from their peers elsewhere in the organization and without fully considering the site’s goals within the context of the organization’s overall mission. The result of poorly planned, hasty development efforts often is an “orphan site,” starved of resources and attention.

As you consider the development process outlined below, note that the construction of the pages that make up the web site is one of the last things that takes place in a well designed project. 

Site definition and planning

This initial stage is where you define your goals and objectives for the web site and begin to collect and analyze the information you will need to justify the budget and resources required. This is also the time to define the scope of the site content, the interactive functionality and technology support required, and the depth and breadth of information resources that you will need to fill out the site and meet your users’ expectations. If you are contracting out the production of the web site, you will also need to interview and select a site design firm. Ideally, your site designers should be involved as soon as possible in the planning discussions.

Site production checklist

Not every site will require detailed consideration of every item on the lists below. Web teams within corporations or other large enterprises can often count on competent in-house technology support when creating web sites. If you are on your own as an individual or small business, you may need to contract with various technology and design vendors to assemble everything you’ll need to create a substantial content site or small e-commerce site.