OUR PROCESS
Our goal as a integrated marketing agency is to provide clients with the most creative and effective solutions for their business. Reaching that goal begins with our Learning and Discovery step- which provides a clear, thorough road map for both our client and us that helps us stay focused throughout the life of a project. Conceived, tested, and refined to adapt to the needs of each individual client, our process provides structure and consistent reevaluation so that every decision is made with the end-goal in mind. The result is exceptional work that fulfills the project goals while exceeding client expectations. Step 1 - Learning & Discovery Listen Design, Development, and marketing meet with the client and hear their story Thorough discussion; Q&A Record key information Gather Study, discuss, and evaluate data, facts, and relevant information Evaluate existing content Examine Brand guidelines and restrictions Obtain and review project assets (photography, graphics, etc.) Evaluate analytics Assess Establish web server environment and constraints Evaluate databases and any third party software Evaluate current CMS Full website audit Determine new CMS requirements and website functionality Assess content and content types (e.g. text, photos, forms etc.) Define website admin and user needs Research Find and consider external resources of data, facts, and relevant information Perform competitive analysis Obtain relevant market research Research possible CMS alternatives; illustrate findings Explore technologies to best deliver the websites content Define Determine key problems and challenges Outline and define project goals Define medium(s) of delivery (e.g. desktop, mobile browsers etc.) Define security needs, where applicable Presentation & Evaluation Present Project Brief
Step 2 - Planning & Exploration Brainstorming Consider challenges and project goals Brainstorm concepts and solutions Create rough content outline Sitemap Design Develop content hierarchy Create flow chart(s) illustrating site structure Content Planning Define content and functionality as it relates to sitemap Strategize content, considering project goals, hierarchy and SEO Presentation & Evaluation Present Sitemap and Content Breakdown Communicate reasoning and purpose Step 3 - Information Architecture Sketching Visualize and experiment with initial wireframe concepts Wireframing Propose visual structure, considering content hierarchy and strategy Shape user experience Statically illustrate functionality Presentation & Evaluation Present Wireframes Communicate reasoning and purpose Step 4 - Design Brainstorming Collaborate on defining creative and conceptual direction Consider Brand consistency (guidelines) Determine visual strategy
Sketching Visualize, test, and refine creative direction Digitize sketches Execution & Implementation Apply visual concepts to approved Wireframes Utilize, create, or acquire assets (photography, graphics, type, etc.) Create polished comp(s) Statically illustrate functionality Presentation & Evaluation Present Comp(s) Communicate reasoning and purpose Confirm creative/visual direction Development Overview Our duty as web developers, is to provide the most efficient means for realizing our design teams vision. In order to do this and stay current with technology, we are constantly doing our due diligence, and revising our Development Process of which, the end goal is a website that uses the most widely supported technologies, takes advantage of current and future techniques, degrades gracefully, meets all web accessibility requirements and is section 508 compliant. Step 5 - Design Hand off Prepare Collect final designs Acquire relevant design assets (e.g. fonts, photoshop documents) Review Front-end Dev and Design Teams to review designs Discuss flowcharts and blueprints Define & Document Define content and content types Outline methods of handling static and dynamic content Determine best methods for displaying the content
Step 6 - Front End Development Structure & Content Create (X)HTML documents that match the designs content and visual hierarchy Remain mindful of content value as it pertains to SEO Reuse global elements to decrease bandwidth usage Design & Styling Create web friendly image assets and sprites Develop style sheets for screen, print and mobile mediums Animate Make use of jquery for moving parts Use HTML5 and Flash for video components Testing & Usability Ensure the static pages meet W3C standards Ensure that all content and markup is Section 508 Compliant Test for consistency on all supported browsers and operating systems Perform human testing for comprehension and usability Review & Evaluation Compare static pages with design comps Confirm accuracy and consistency with Design Team Step 7 - Front End Hand off Prepare Package all development documents Include design comps for reference Review & Transition Review all planning and documentation in person, with Back End Team Schedule reoccurring progress meetings Field any questions or concerns Step - 8 Back End Development (CMS) Monitoring Evaluate progress at regular intervals Confirm continuity and consistency with blueprint Ensure standards and compliance is maintained Provide feedback
Testing & Usability Testing full functionality of CMS on staging server Test for consistency on all supported browsers and operating systems Perform human testing for comprehension and usability Track bugs and confirm fixes. Regression testing Validate markup CSS Validation Server load testing Mobile evaluation (optional) Final Evaluation Confirm usability and methodology Approval Step 9 - Content Loading Gather Obtain final text and verbiage Acquire final photos and videos Final content analysis Step 10 - On-page Optimization Keyword Research and Implementation Internal Linking Strategy Optimization of Navigational Elements Title Tag Optimization Through Best-Practices Resolution of Duplicate Content Issues Compose, Code & Optimize Title Attributes Meta Tag Composition & Optimization Through Best-Practice Compose and Code Alt Attribute Descriptions Anchor Text Optimization Create HTML & XML Sitemaps (Submit to Major Engines) Step 11 - Hand-off to Client (Optional) Prepare Provide training resources Supply administration credentials Provide personal training and support
Testing & Review Perform UAT (User Acceptance Testing) Review results Create a plan of action and provide supporting documents, if needed Final approval Step 12 - Launching Website Integration Into Production Environment Test and verify technologies used are working in expected manner Confirm site wide functionality On site implementation Launch Determine optimal launch day and date (likely over a weekend) Final tests to confirm site wide functionality and continuit Step 13 - Support Technical Provide full technical support for 60 days after launch Phone & Ticket Support Available ongoing Ongoing evaluation and content support Provide continued evaluation of analytics and user experience Step 14 - Ongoing Marketing Strategy Execution and support of all marketing strategies Content development Social media SEO Print Video PR Lead Generation Email marketing Review,, Report, Repeat success