It starts with hello
Like many good things in life, my work begins with human connection and relationship. Remember I am web developer and mental health therapist after all.
Meet and greet
This is the critical first step - who I am and who you are is always the starting point. I need to get a feeling for your personality, values, and hopes while you need to decide if I am someone you can trust, someone who is going to deliver on expectations, and someone you can communicate well with.
Goals
The next step is a high level conversation about goals and expectations. Fundamentally we need to define what success looks like. Where are we headed and what needs to be done to get there?
A big part of this process is understanding the purpose of your website or application, your “product”, and the intended audience. What are you selling? Who are you selling to?
Often your product and what you are selling are two different things. Take for example a tire company. Their product is tires. But they are selling safety. The NFL’s product is football but they are selling entertainment.
My product is web development but I am selling personal connection and craftsmanship.
Plan, Quote and Contract
At this stage we will outline a plan and agree on a project scope, technologies, cost, and tenative timeline with a signed contract. This protects us both.
Typically 1/3 of the total cost is due at contract signing, 1/3 at the final review stage, and 1/3 once the project is complete.
Branding
Ideally you will provide me with a brand guideline including logos, fonts, colors, and style guide. If this is not something you already have for your business we can discuss options to have this completed.
Rapid prototyping
At this phase in the process we will quickly be exchanging emails about ideas, rough drafts, and design mock ups. I often work using a combination of paper and pen, design tools, and mock websites.
Design approval
After some back and forth in the previous stage we will agree on an overall design direction and tone for the project which will allow me to move on to actual real development work. Depending on the scope of the project this step may be more or less detailed and formal.
Development stage
This part of the process is a bit quieter in terms of communication - I am off building something amazing based on our previous conversations! As I work I will often share screenshots or live demos of the progress so you can follow along and give commentary as needed.
Content stage
Once the project is complete from a development perspective there will be a pause for any necessary updates in the content or transfer of information from the old databse to the new databse. Content is typically your responsibility unless otherwise agreed on.
Final review
The project is finished!! Wee!!
Once complete we will do a final “walk-through” of the project and ensure it has met the agreed upon contract and expectations. This is a last chance to make any final tweaks or adjustments before we launch.
Launch it!
3, 2, 1, Launch!
This stage can vary quite a bit depending on the size and scope of the project being launched. Sometimes the project is live on a temporary staging site while being developed and just needs to be made “live” whereas other times it is more complicated with additional steps.
Documentation and hand off
I typically offer 30 days of free technical support and consultation after the project is complete during which time we can deal with any unexpected problems that come up. We will also likely have a final hand off and documentation meeting to ensure you are comfortable with updating and managing the website on your own going forward. I don’t want you contacting me to change a picture!
Like what you are reading?
Send me an email and say hello! I would love to chat.