When we create a web site we take many factors into account, such as: What is the purpose of the site? Who is your audience? Is it a brochure site or an online application? We take the time to gain an upper level understanding of your business process and apply our expertise in information architecture and user interface design when developing your web site.
The following is the basic process we follow when creating a web site:
During this initial stage we meet with your organization and discuss your exact needs. We will gain an upper level understanding of your business and then apply our technical knowledge to ensure the information you want your customers to see is easily available from your web site.
Every web site we design is custom tailored to your specific needs and tastes. We do not use pre-designed templates of any kind. While we do stick to the standards of good interface design, we ensure your web site, just like your business, will have your personal touch on it.
When we develop a web site we take extra care ensuring the code which drives the display and functionality of the site is clean, bug free, not bloated and will download quickly. We develop web sites keeping in mind the different browsers and computers people use and take the appropriate measures to ensure your message comes across as desired.
We offer an array of options when loading the content of your web site. Sometimes clients do not have the time or expertise to enter their web copy onto their own site using a content management system. We will load your content into your site or provide you with the necessary tools to do so yourself. The tools we provide do not expect you to know anything about web design or web development. Our Content Management System (CMS) can be used comfortably by anyone familiar with the various standard word processing programs out there. Its almost as easy as composing an e-mail with a few extra goodies.
Once the site is designed and developed, and the content has been loaded, we will stage the site online behind the scenes in preparation for testing. Staging the web site gives us a "sandbox" environment that is useful during the rtesting process.
Our testing procedures vary depending on the complexity of the web site or web application. Quite often we find good web sites and good web applications out there that suffer from inadequate testing. Testing does not have to become a hugely time consuming process provided everything was set up correctly to begin with, but the reality is there will always be some little things that need to be tweaked. The testing phase identifies those fixes for us before your users find them. We take the testing phase very seriously as this is the time to catch the bugs and loose ends before one of your customers turns away because something is not working.
"Going Live" means we make the files we have designed and created available for your intended users to see. This only happens after all known bugs have been identified and dealt with.
New web site owners and veteran techies will invariably have questions as time moves forward. Just because your web site is live does not mean the journey is over. You will find that as people visit your site, and you begin to get feedback your site will begin to evolve and change. Change is good for a web site because it keeps the people who have been there before coming back. The changes can be minimal or complex. Minimal being adding a new product or service to your site or complex in that your users could demand some new functionality or features.
The above was our specific approach to the design and development of a web site. Below is a summary of the whole process of getting a web site up and running from scratch.
This is the web address you will use. For example, www.solutionmedia.net is our domain name. As long as no one else currently owns the name you seek, you will be able to order it. Registering a domain name only gives you ownership of the name to then use on your new web site.
The Web Host or Host, is the company that stores the files which make up your web site. You will "point" your domain name to your host (Actually we do that for you). Once your domain is pointed to your host you then have the framework for a web site. Your host is the company that will also provide you with the e-mail addresses associated with your domain name.
This is the process of designing and developing the look, feel and functionality of your web site. This aspect is our specialty. We employ the above mentioned process when creating a web site for you.
Once you have a name, have obtained a host for the files and have the files created you are ready to go. Your domain name points to your host, which means when someone types in www.YourSite.com they will see the files that live on your hosts' machines.
Custom built web application to manage an on-line stock portfolio. With innovative E-Mail alerts!!
The prestigious Annenenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania hired Solution Media to re-design their web site.