Website Design
In this section of the website the discussion is all about how to approach website design, in this introduction there is also a brief outline of DPCs approach and methodology to website design. To avoid long pages the process of website design has be split into two main pages, basics website design and advanced website design both provide more information that will help those who wish to build a website themselves or businesses that are looking to engage a website designer to develop their website.. There is also a page which is devoted to current articles on website design which offers an input from 10 of the top website design companies.
Overview of Website Design
 What is involved in website design? In recent years website design has evolved into one of the most sophisticated marketing tools used by a business. You can have a small business looking like a corporate with the right website design, plus trading online has become established to such an extent that some buinesses are cyber based only with no morter based presence at all. Therefore it is important when embarking on a website design project that the first thing to do is get a clear understanding of your target audience and the competitors who are currently servicing their requirements online. This will tell you what you are up against and the standard of presentation you will need in order to compete successfully. Website design does not start with the website build it starts with collecting a range of information such as understanding your target market and how your customers interact with online suppliers, researching the competition what are their strenghts and weaknesses, how does the business currently interact with its customer base off line and most of all what are the benefits to your target market of you providing an online service. This information should be mapped back the the website structure and functionality. Once these tasks have been completed then a specification of requirements should be drawn up which will provide a clear understanding of the businesses overall vision for its website.
Website Design Methodology
DPC have a tried and tested method in website design:
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Diagnostic: This is a discussion with the business to identify the key business object of the website and gain an understanding of any Unique Selling Points (USP's) related to the proposition. During this process focus will be placed on both the presentation of the website and the architecture.
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Research: This is in the first task undertaken and looks at the target market however the process is a little different as it includes some high level Search Engine Analysis relating to keyword phrases that are intended to be used by the business. Also another important element is to look at how the competitors are achieving their postion via search engines and how they present their business propositions.
- Specification: This is the output document from the diagnostic and research which is used to build the website. it is proberly the most important document within the total process. The composition is generally made up of a detailed website map and a set of of notes describing in detail both the functionality of the website design, the content pages and the aesethic appearance.
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Development: This is the build stage of the project A team of programers will start developing the architecture of the website whilst the design team will come up with a selection of template designs incorporating logos, house colour themes, colours and fonts to be used within the website design, once the design are agreed then the website front end is created and placed online . The programming team will then complete the back office functionality which will allow the business to manage their website.
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Testing: This is making sure all the functionality is working and the online customer journey meets the business criteria. The process of testing is ongoing throughout the life cycle of the website development process.
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Training: On larger projects this is packaged in manageble chunks inorder that webmaster can get to grips with areas of the websites Content Management System (CMS) DPC used as its core technology Web Builder Pro which is one of the most intuative and innovative website design solutions in the technology market place. You can check out Web Builder Pro by following the naviagtion link on the left or read more about this fantastic solution by using the WBP link in the top menu.
If you would like to discuss any aspect of website design then please visit our Contact Page.
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