In this blog post, I'm going to break down my process from initial client query to project completion.
Have you ever wondered what it is like to work with a website designer? Does it stop you hiring one because you don't know how they work - what if your ways of working don't align with theirs?
I hope that by sharing my process, you might find we would work well together.
Let's get started
After a potential client has been through the onboarding stage, which we wont cover in this post, we schedule a meeting - this meeting can either be face to face if you're local or a Skype video call - I can travel to your offices if you prefer.
The purpose of the meeting is for us to discuss your project in detail - this gives me an idea of the priorities, overall goals and project complexity.
Whether its a new website or an existing one, we will cover pages you need, what functionality you want, existing branding.
We'll talk about colours, typography and images - the look and feel you are after and logos, websites you love and hate - all of this will help me when it comes to the design stage - it helps me visualise your project.
After our meeting, there are a few things that I will need you to do. I will need you to create a pinterest board or a word document and fill it with visual inspiration for your website, complete the design questionnaire and have upload all your website content (text and photos) to the Google Drive folder I share with you.
I will then work on your project proposal - this will detail how I intend on solving your problem in detail, the cost and the contract - don't worry, the contract is written in plain English and it's designed to help both of us in case we change our minds during the project. It will also explain what happens next.
What happens next
Providing you are happy with the proposal, contract and there are no amends needed - but you are free to suggest amends.
A typical project is split into three stages, Design, Build and Live - but before the first stage can start - I will need you to have signed and returned the contract, as well as a down-payment of 50% of the total project cost. This enables me to schedule you in, create a project plan and start working on the design.
We will be in constant contact throughout all of the stages and you will have access to the Project Hub - a place where you can check the process of your website. While you are checking, if you find any issues at this stage, I will need you to log them on a spreadsheet that will be created for this project - this allows me to focus on getting things done and we wont lose track of any issues.
Finishing up
We will catch up once more before the site goes live. If you have chosen a CMS, I will show you how to update your website, we will go over the documentation to make sure it all makes sense and you are able to edit your site.
After I receive the final payment, the website goes live, and you can start sharing your new website. But this isn't the end, I will always be on hand to help you with your website, if you get stuck or have any issues or decided to add more to it.
My process is not set in stone, and neither should yours - it should be constantly reviewed and changed to suit your needs.
Have you found this post useful? Did I miss anything out that you would like to know more about? Please leave a comment and I will be more than happy to get back to you or even add to this post.