Do you envision an exceptional website that opens the gates of success for your business? Do you wish to rise above the swarm of mediocre websites in your niche and showcase your very best? This is only possible if you have a meticulous web design project plan in place. Though your project plan would vary based on your exact objectives or requirements from the website, your content, the type of design and layout you choose, the expertise of your web designer, your target audience, you deadline, budgetary constraints and so on and so forth, the following web design project plan example will definitely give you a far in-sight into how you should go ahead with formulating a personalized plan for your web design project.

PLAN YOUR WEB DESIGN PROJECT

PLAN YOUR WEB DESIGN PROJECT

Phase 1: Pre-Design Phase:

•   Set the objectives or primary purpose of your website. Is it to sell your products or services directly, or to showcase your organization or to provide information? Clarity on this will enable you to streamline your modus operandi.

•    Identify reference sites, both within and outside your niche as a source of reference. Also refer to the websites of your competitors.

•    List down the pages, headings, sub headings and features that you want on your website.

•   Collate all the necessary information that you need to provide your web designer or web designing company so that they have in-depth   understanding about your organization and how it should be reflected through the website.

•    Decide on your logo, motto, corporate colors and specific images associated with your brand if any.

•    Lay down the budget on which you are going to operate.

•    Fix a deadline for the completion of your project.

Phase 2: Collaboration with Web Designer or Web Designing Company:

•    Identify a good, reliable web designer or web designing company after properly checking their track record and credibility.

•    Have a comprehensive meeting with them and communicate your exact requirements.

•    If they are capable of fulfilling your requirements within your fixed budget and deadline, go ahead and assign them the project.

•    The buck doesn’t end here. If you want quality output from the project, you have to be continuously involved in your web design project. A well-designed website is the outcome of your seamless collaboration with your web designer.

•    Have detailed meetings and discussions with them. Give them all the information you had collated in Phase 1- Website objectives, Company  Information, Reference Sites, Page Headings, Sub Headings, features, logo, corporate colors and images.

•    Collectively decide on the technology and platforms to be used.

•    Ensure that you remain available for all their queries. Simultaneously, familiarize yourself with the technical aspects of web designing, for better understanding.

Phase 3: Content Creation:

•    Contrary to common misconceptions, your website content needs to be formulated before the actual designing. The reason is simple. It will give your designer a better idea about what layouts, templates and designs to choose from the very beginning and will eliminate the possibility of last minute additions and subsequent delays.

•    Create a proposed sitemap for your website based on reference sites, and develop the content accordingly. Many web development companies also have professional content writers who can write unique and appealing web content for you.

Phase 4: Design Phase:

•    The very first step is to ask the designer to create a wireframe of the proposed layout, menu and navigation, and seek your approval before they can start off with actual designing.

•    As already mentioned in Phase 2, your constant involvement is necessary for high quality output. Irrespective of the fact whether you have technical know-how of designing or not, these are the aspects that you need to ratify:

1. Friendly user-interface
2. Consistency of style
3. Convenient Navigation
4. Convenient Readability
5. Appealing design and layout
6. Upload time

  Familiarize yourself and your team with the Content Management System or Backend towards the end of the web design and development   phase rather than doing so after the website is live.

Phase 5: Post Design Phase:

•    Conduct a final review; test all applications and links once again, look into bug fixing and review the content to see if there are any typos.
•    Give an honest, constructive feedback to your designer for any corrections or improvements before the site goes live.

      All’s well that ends well

      Lack of proper planning is bound to leave loopholes in your web design project. On the contrary, a well structured plan will enable you to put your best foot forward and achieve the creation of an exemplary website that can work wonders for your business.