How I work
How do I go about a typical project? I might not do everything listed below for every project, or might not do it strictly in the given order but this is a summary of the approach I like to take.
Step 1: Listen
It sounds obvious but this is really important. I listen to what the client wants. That way it’s more likely I’ll create something that she and her audience actually want. What does the client want to achieve? Who are her users? Who are the competitors? What other sites or products does she like and why?
Listening is obviously something that continues throughout the project: I listen to its stakeholders, site users, programmers etc. to make sure I’m getting it right.
Step 2: Research
Is there an existing website? Who are the uses and what do they think of it? Can I get any feedback or do any testing on it? What are the users most interested in and how does this fit in with the business goals of the site owner?
If there is no existing site, establish what the website’s purpose is and who the potential users are.
Step 3: Conceptual design
Let’s create the wireframes, along with other design documentation like storyboards. This is a good way to generate some ideas and discuss the layout and functionality of the site without getting too bogged down in details–they can also be used for some initial user testing. Also it can be a good way to communicate how the site will work to the back-end team–and to get their feedback on if what you’re proposing can be done.
Step 4: Visual design comps
Time to open up Photoshop, Illustrator or get stuck in with good old in-browser design. Let’s do some initial testing with the designs to make sure we’re on the right track. If not, let’s find out what we’re doing wrong. Testing isn’t a one-off activity and design should be an iterative activity so let’s make sure we test as often as we can.
Step 5: design implementation
Once the design is in a state to be implemented I can pass on the design documentation to the front-end development team or code the templates with web standards, including HTML5 and CSS3.
Step 6: Templating
Pass on the templates to the back-end team to integrate with the framework or CMS they are using or liaise with them to do the integration myself. I have experience of implementing templates for WordPress Django and Plone.
Step 7: Review and documentation
Is everything working ok and have all the bugs been sorted? Yes, great! Right, let’s hand everything over and make sure it’s all documented properly, either within the code or in an accompanying document (e.g. Wiki entry, Google Doc etc.).
Step 8: Time for tea
Phew, job done. I’ll put the kettle on.