Planning Guide

How to prepare for a Successful Web Project

Remember that the more complete content and information you provide the designer, the less time and money it will cost you. They will be able to spend time planning and designing your site rather than trying to muddle through 100 emails each with one paragraph of text and a half-formed idea. It behooves web designers to be organized, and they will love you if you ask them how they would like you to organize and name your files to keep things moving smoothly.

This may seem obvious, but have a clear idea of what you would like to get across to your customers, what your customers will be looking for, and how you would like the information to be presented. Visit competitor websites and jot down what you like and don’t like about how they have organized and presented their information. Outline a hierarchy of what is most important for people to look at, what is next in line, etc. Think of it as a paint-by-numbers of sorts. Just as newspapers have headlines so you know what they feel is important for you to read, websites should direct the visitor where they want him or her to go, and make it compelling enough for them to actually spend more than 3 seconds on that page.

The Three Words

In addition to information I glean from the initial meeting and reviewing competitor sites, I will ask my client to describe their business with 3 words. This helps clarify the message they want to get across to their visitors. It might be tempting to just pull generic terms out of the air, like “professional”, “courteous,” and “effective”, but the more time you take to actually distill your message, the closer the designer will be able to “read your mind” and deliver a look and feel that will resonate with you.

Working Together

Following an initial meeting during which time a clients business needs are discussed, I will ask a client to provide me with the following:

• All content going on the site (images and text)
• An outline or wireframe of what is desired the site
• A list of URLs of competitor websites in addition to sites you like
• Any required graphics, including logo files
• Login information for any domain registry or hosting, if applicable

Wrayco Design will provide:

• An online project calendar with deadlines for client and designer
• An browser-based location for collaboration, if required
• Analysis and discussion of competitor sites
• Color studies with logo
• Three to five design directions for site layout
• Variation on chosen layout for alternate pages
• Color correction, cropping and image optimization for photos
• Additional site graphics
• Functional Site Mock-up in test location
• Placement of site content
• Revisions and site testing
• Set up of content management system
• Training on content management system
• Set up of site backup system
• Set up of SEO and stat analysis system

In House vs. Remote

The nature of freelance make it possible to work remotely or in house. Because I will sometimes partner with people out-of-state, working remotely is the most practical solution. This does not mean, however, that for selected projects that some time in-house cannot be arranged.

Most clients like to meet face-t0-face to discuss project needs and oftentimes a second meeting is unnecessary. This does not mean, however that communication is affected. I sm available most weekdays through either IM or email, and of course, by phone.