Web Design Reference Guide

Web Design Process and Workflow

Last updated Mar 1, 2004.

By Meryl Evans

Somewhere, someone has made the decision to give birth to a Web site, or give it a facelift, or grow it into a more comprehensive creature. Staff members and/or consultants determine the goals, discuss the budget, and gather information to determine the needs for the Web site, ensuring that there is a real need to do the project.

A real need is to add value to the business or organization and consequently serve its customers and staff better. Getting started takes research, making an analysis, and creating a comprehensive strategy that includes an action plan to close the gaps of current needs. At the end of the analysis, the action plan should clearly explain why a site is being created, redesigned, or expanded.

If this can't be done, then maybe it's better to stop and reconsider before throwing time and money into a project with no sense of purpose. It's easy to daydream about the pretty visuals such as the navigation buttons, colors, pictures, and animation, but don't let them make you forget about meeting visitors' needs and making your site simple to navigate.