Development

Web site development is our core service.  For most sites we use our well-established Content Management System (CMS) and E-Commerce system, but we can also develop bespoke web sites quickly re-using our core software.

Presenting the design

The designer needs to design the layouts to be used on the web site, not every page.  Typically on a small site this is three or four different layouts.  Each layout will have filler text.  The design can be presented to us as a graphic file or finished HTML pages.   

Photoshop

The Designer may present us with Photoshop files containing the design and we will create the HTML from those designs and use this to customise the system.  The files should be in layers, with Rollovers as separate layers.   

We will be responsible for issues such as accessibility and adherence to standards. 

Finished HTML

Some designers have the skills to produced the finished HTML.  This obviously will reduce our costs.  We will faithfully translate the HTML pages to the finished site.

The administration area

The administration area is where the customer will be making changes to the site.  We follow a 'house style' for this, and while a small amound of customisation is possible we do not expect the designer to produce designs for this area.

Site structure 

We will need to understand the site structure. This will often be clear from the layouts, but a site map in addition  is often useful. 

Content

When we set the site up we will create a range of pages and populate them with content. Our quotations do not normally include finalising the content on the web site. If you need us to do this please as us to include this in the budget.

We encourage the customer to add the content because this is a good opportunity for them to learn how to use the system before the site goes live.

Testing

We will hand over the site for acceptance testing. For simple content managed sites this is pretty straightforward. For e-commerce sites we can provide a test script.

This stage is important because we want the end-user to feel confident that the system they are taking over is working as per the original brief. There can be mis-understandings in the best circumstances and these need to be identified and resolved before the site goes live.

Training

We will provide some training for the user in updating the site, although many designers prefer to do this themselves. 

We have a user guide as a word document. You can rebrand and modify this for your client.