Our basic roadmap that keeps us on target, on time, and on budget.
Without a firm process, an on-going, open-ended project such as e.g. a website invariably costs too much, takes too long, frustrates too many and pleases too few.
Each phase of our processes divided into steps:
DISCOVER: Allocate and Analyze
DESIGN: Architect, Apply and Accumulate
DEPLOY: Assemble and Adjust
1. Allocate the financial and human resources needed to tackle the project-including those for any promotional activities designed to generate site traffic.
2. Analyze the project in terms of strategic goals, target audiences, and methods for measuring the success of the site. If an existing site needs to be improved, this phase will also involve usability testing of the current version. The result is a short written description of the site goals, the methods used to achieve these. As a by-product of this work, we will often develop a set of user persona (archetypes).
3. Architect the site and define the site's functional concept. The result is a set of diagrams showing the proper relationship between all the individual pages.
4. Apply the knowledge gained during the previous phases to create design templates (wireframes), graphics, and the user interface. We use the word "apply" as in "applied arts" rather than the more common "design", since a lot more goes on at this point than just making things pretty or coordinating the look and feel of the site with off-line communications.
5. Accumulate the needed content, build the databases, and write any additional software required by the informational structure. The integration of existing databases or Customer Relationship Management tools (CRM) with the browser-based solution also takes place at this time.
During this phase, FatDUX assumes more of an advisory role since this work is usually handled by the site owner, an advertising agency, web house, or other specialized subcontractor.
6. Assemble the pages and test the site - both technical testing and from a usability standpoint. FatDUX has direct access to one of Northern Europe's most sophisticated usability laboratories.
7. Adjust the site as new needs are defined.
Notes to the process
It's important to understand that this process is linear in that any attempt to short-circuit individual steps will invariably lead to problems later on. However, the process is also circular in that the adjustment phase always leads back to the allocation/analysis phases as the site evolves.
Those people who are used to creating printed materials, should note that the process differs in one key aspect from the accepted print process: the first designs are produced at a much later stage.
Although it's reasonable to produce conceptual sketches for a brochure after a fairly basic initial briefing, the creation of an effective website requires a much more thorough analysis of the site owner's organization and goals, as well as the goals of the target audience before any useful design work can be carried out. After all, you can't gift-wrap a package you don't have.