This document presents a thumbnail sketch of what a web design process and collaboration would look like. The process can be quick and streamlined when everything is in order, but as you know, in the real world, that rarely happens!
The design process will be affected by factors such as your busy schedule, my busy schedule, the time it takes to produce or find proper content (images, articles, links, etc.), the back-and-forth of getting the design just right, and the time it takes to test and get feedback from reviewers.
On my end, I promise a professional approach to everything, which includes producing your website at maximum speed and with the highest possible quality.
TIMEFRAME FOR THE WHOLE WEBSITE DESIGN PROCESS
1/ The best case scenario (no delays, no glitches, perfect coordination) is two weeks. 2/ The worst case scenario is a month to month and a half, with me pushing!
Here’s how the process generally goes.
Phase 1 – Us
We start with a phone call discussing how a website fits into your mission of saving souls.
- In omnia respicere finem. What’s your purpose? I.e., What do you hope to accomplish with it? How will this website augment your mission to souls?
- Cui bono? Who are your primary and secondary audiences?
- Form and function. How do you really want it to look? What will be the best structure for your mission (a simple-one page site, or multiple pages, etc.)? Do you want an e-commerce store? Do you want sign-up forms?
A fifteen-minute phone call for our initial discussion should do the trick. The creative process will develop and expand as we go, but our conversation will help set the tone and parameters of the project.
At this stage you can consult the FAQ section on this website to answer any questions you might have going forward. (However, you can text, call, or email me at any time with any questions or concerns you might have.)
TIMEFRAME FOR THIS STAGE:
Once we get a chance to talk, fifteen minutes.
Phase 2 – You
Then the ball is in your court for a brief moment. You send me a three to five links to websites you like. This will give me an idea of what overall “look” you want for your site and some of the functionality.
You should indicate whether you like these sites for their design or for their practicality, or both. Even if there is only one feature on the site that you like best, tell me what that is specifically so I have a better sense of your vision and style.
At this point, you should also send me a good amount of material that you would like to put up on the site (articles, photos links, sermons, videos, podcasts, etc.), which I will generally refer to as “content.”
[Note: If this is a re-design of an existing site, I will be able to get most of the information from the current site and you will only have to send me updated or new content. See the “Re-Designing an Existing Website” document.]
Again, what you send me at this stage is just a start because undoubtedly the content will be added, subtracted, updated, and/or modified throughout most of the process.
TIMEFRAME FOR THIS STAGE:
That will be entirely dependent on how quickly you send me your links and content.
Phase 3 – Me
Now the ball is in my court in two steps.
1/ Models: Based on our discussions and content sharing, I will present you with two or three mockup ideas for the front page and any other pages for which you want to get a “visual” ahead of time.
Nothing is set in stone, but most people like visual examples to get a good idea of whether the designs fit their vision and style or not.
2/ Creative: You tell me what seems to be your best design, and I begin the work of creating and designing the site.
TIMEFRAME FOR THIS STAGE:
One week to ten days for my work, rarely longer than that.
Phase 4 – Us
Collaboration / Tweaking / Sculpting / Fine Tuning
This is the back-and-forth stage where we work on all the above elements to your ultimate satisfaction. It’s your site, and it needs to be well within your comfort zone.
It is the most subjective phase of the process where you “brand” the website with your own personality and get a feel for how it will best serve your mission. The above analogies – tweaking, sculpting, fine-tuning – mean we’re in the refining stage.
TIMEFRAME FOR THIS STAGE:
Flexible, depending on how well we communicate within the parameters of busy schedules. My goal is always “one week to tweak”.
Phase 5 – Feedback / Testing
Here’s where we work out the bugs.
Once you are settled on the overall design and functionality of the site, we will send the link to carefully chosen third parties for their evaluation and feedback. You should select people who will spend a bit of time to give you honest and intelligent feedback. I also have people who will offer third-party feedback, if needed.
We want first-sight reactions of people regarding content, style, and user-friendliness, and we’ll ask them to use the forms and feedback mechanisms of the website to verify that any technical bugs are worked out.
We will also ask them to look at the site on various screen sizes (desktop, laptop, tablet, phone.) This way we get feedback about how the design adjusts to different screens, and we can correct any obvious glitches before it goes fully public.
TIMEFRAME FOR THIS STAGE:
Depends on how quickly your reviewers get back to you. It’s always best to set a parameter for them of one week.
Launch
At this point, the website is basically done. Then we launch. The site will already be live on the Internet, so you can feel free to disseminate the link to others, or you can do a formal launch.
A launch can be whatever you want to make it – a big event with plenty of prior notice about a specific date (we can “hide” the live site on the web until that date), or just an informational email with the link letting your people know it’s up and running.
This is the formal closure of the setup process, so I will send you the “Specifications” document for future reference.
At that time the second half of the fee will also be due.
Ongoing Maintenance
1/ Technical: As noted, I will manage the overall health of your website and make sure that it is functioning optimally and protected from viruses and cyberattacks at all times.
2/ Creative: On your end, I’d ask you to look at the site regularly and let me know at any time if something looks out of place on any page or if you see a glitch anywhere or on any screen size. I’ll jump on that with a quick fix right away.
At any time after the launch we can change things around, add pages, put up and take down content regularly. That’s all part of the deal.
In the rare event that something must be dealt with as an emergency, please call me.
3/ Communal: It may be the case that you want to designate a co-worker or staff member to work with me on this process. That is totally fine with me and perfectly in keeping with leadership models for getting things done effectively and efficiently.
All the parameters that I have laid out in this and other documents will apply to the person you designate, who I also presume will consult with you on a regular basis during the process.
Best Modes of Communication
In our working relationship, there are many ways to communicate.
- Text messaging is best for quick communications and alerts.
- When you see something wrong or out of place, please take a screenshot and send it to me via email or text. I will then see what you are seeing and will correct the problem immediately.
- For sending any content such as files, images, documents, design changes, etc. email is always the best way to do that.
As noted, any longer discussions and emergencies are best handled by phone.
