The Art Of Web Designing And Development

The basics to achieving a goal remain the same, right from our class projects to multi-million dollar projects in the corporate world. In a way, an efficiently laid out process for a task is the backbone of that task and it actually dictates the future success of the same.

Now when it comes to web designing and development; if you are expecting your website to draw the kind of attention it deserves, then you must put a lot of hard work and smart work together to make it a possibility. Follow the golden rule of 6 steps to earn your website its rightful place among the echelons of websites dealing in businesses online. 

These 6 steps are as follows:-

1. Gathering the required information

2. Planning and strategizing

3. Design

4. Development

5. Testing and Delivery

6. Maintenance

Step One - Gathering the information

What is your purpose of designing website? What business are you into and what purpose does it mean to achieve through this website? Is it to disseminate information? Is it to promote a service or a product? One has to have a very clear understanding of what he/she aims to achieve through the website and what means would he choose to undertake the task.

The second question to ask would be the goals which the person wants to achieve through this website. Who would be the target audience for such kind of online activity?

Step Two - Planning

After the gathering of the information, comes the stage of planning. In this stage processes are undertaken:-

• Considering the various technology options available for web designing

• Creation of the site map that lists down all the main-topic areas in the website along with the sub-topics so as to facilitate the ease of navigation on the website

• Outlining the basic features that you intend to be showcased in the user interface.

Step Three - Design

This is the most important step in the process and needs to be thought out many times in advance before actually approaching the development of the website. The look and feel of your website would be determined by your website design. Always keep in mind your target audience while proceeding with the design work of your website.

For example, if you're designing a website keeping teenagers in mind then the web design would be loud, smart and catchy. On the other hand if you are designing a website for the corporate audience, then the overall look and feel of the website would be clear, crisp and a lot more serious.

Make sure that your ideas are in sync with the design ideas of your designer. It is of critical importance that both you and your designer are standing at a common ground when it comes to designing the website. Exchange of ideas therefore is imminent and necessary.

Step Four - Development

This is the step of genesis or the creation of the website. Here the transition takes place from the prototype to the actual functional website as all the elements (visual and functional) are finally incorporated into the website. 

The steps which go into the development of the website are as follows:-

1. Creation of the homepage

2. Creation of a "shell" for the interior pages, which serves as a template for the other content pages of the website.

3. Distribution of the content throughout the website.

4. Other major elements such as ecommerce shopping carts, flash animations etc too are made functional at this stage.

A valid XHTML / CSS code too needs to be written. This code should comply with the current web standards, maximizing functionality, as well as accessibility for as large an audience as possible.

Step Five - Testing and Delivery

This is the time to give attention to the finer details. In case of web browsers, compatibility issues, if any, need to be resolved. XHTML and CSS are the basic technologies used in web development.

After all these formalities are taken care of, comes the phase of the website launch. An FTP (File Transfer Protocol) program is used to upload the web site files to your server. Just a last run-through would be required before your website goes LIVE on the web.

Step Six - Maintenance

This step is often ignored by web developers and has lead to the downfall of many promising websites. Updating the technology is an integral issue in maintenance and when it comes to the content, it needs to be updated with a CMS or a Content management system.