For a successful website, a tried and tested Website Design process is very critical. A website design process involves many phases from initial information gathering to final maintenance. Though, website design process may vary depending on website requirements, there are some fundamental steps that need to be adhered.

1. Information Gathering: The first phase is to gather as much information about the website that needs to be developed. As a web designer you should have a clear idea of what is the purpose of the website. Is it to sell products/services or disseminate information or something else? A website should have a goal. Does a company wants to sell products online or just wants an online presence?

A crucial piece of the puzzle is the audience that needs to be targeted. Getting demography wrong can derail any Website Design process. A good idea about the targeted audience can tell you lot about what kind of design style should be followed.

2. Planning: Once you have gathered all the information you need, you need to plan for the website. A sitemap should be developed in this phase. All the sections and pages should be identified. In this phase the technologies to be adopted are also decided.

3. Website Design: Drawing upon the information gathered till now, the design of the website is decided in this phase. Prototypes are designed by the web designer according to the purpose, goal and demography of the website. The designs are sent over to the client for feedback and approvals. Views and ideas are exchanged. Once, the design has been approved, the final layout is agreed upon.

4. Website Development: In this phase the website is created from the prototype. A functional site is created with all the pages starting from the home page and then inner pages. Flash, forms, menu, CMS, shopping cart and other functionalities that are needed are also developed in this phase. The content for the website is also placed in all pages with proper formatting. Throughout is process, the test site should be ideally viewable to the client for suggestions and feedback.

5. Testing and Delivery: Once the website has been designed and developed, it needs to be tested. Cross browser compatibility issues, form functionalities and scripts are tested. Website's CSS is also validated for any errors. A through check is made for any broken links, missing pages and images. Once, this is completed, client gives consent upon his satisfaction. After this stage, the website is launched on the actual server and tested again.

6. Maintenance: Website needs to be constantly updated. Content, sections, pages, special offers, news and products are to be added or edited on a regular basis. If a site is CMS based then the job of a web designer may get diminish a great deal. But if the client wants the web designer to handle then maintenance contract can be agreed upon in which the web designer is responsible for any updates to the site.

Author: Aniruddha Badola

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