The process of web design and website development  is divided into four crucial stages. Both designers and developers are a part of this process and together they ensure that a project is taken through all the stages in successfully. A project needs to go through all the stages in order to ensure its efficiency and high performance.

Planning

This stage precedes the actual design and development of the project. It is here that the project gets planned and mapped. The team gathers information about the requirements, goals, objectives, features and target audience of the client. Discussions also take place with the client regarding the financials, timelines and the various aspects related to project copyright. Another important aspect of the planning stage is the design of the sitemap, which gives clients a clear idea about the pages on their websites; their hierarchy and nomenclature; and links.  One of the key decisions that are made during the planning stage is choosing the required software and resources for designing and developing a website successfully.

Design

The client’s concept is given the necessary shape during this stage. Designers start representing the client’s concept visually, and this begins with designing a layout using a wireframe. Designers also zero in on the various design elements that are going to be used and mock-ups are prepared on the same. The mockups then go through a process of review and approval until both the client and the designers agree on a particular design. Finally, when the design is frozen, designers begin the long and complex process of coding, using HTML and CSS. They also design the various interactive elements using diverse software that helps them meet the client requirements in perfect fashion.

Development

Now the developers get into the act.  They start off by first building a development framework which helps them develop a basic “engine” for the website. More often than not, developers begin with creating a content management system or even an ASP/PHP framework to ensure that process of setting up the website and its installation can be smoothly handled by the server. Another important facet of development is coding templates for the various pages and also integrating the various features as asked for by the client. Developers also test the functionality and ensure that they haven’t missed any feature.

Launch

In this stage, the website goes public, but before that both designers and developers identify those parts of the website that can still be improved and polish them. Once they are sure about the quality of the website design and its development, they will move it to a live server where it will undergo further testing before finally being giving the green signal for its launch.

Now, you might think that once the website is launched, the job is over and done with. But, this is not the case. Once the website is launched, there are still certain tasks left regarding the formal handover of the project including the final documentation and getting all the teething problems sorted out.  It’s also important to understand, that though the foundation of the process remains the same across all web design and development projects, certain specific requirements might necessitate a change of approach.

In order to ensure that you get the best web design services, it’s important that you choose to work with designers and developers that are not only experienced and proven experts but also understand the value of a well planned process of project development. This way you ensure the efficiency of your project and the fact that its goes a long way in helping you achieve your goals.