Step 1: Kickoff Meeting

We meet with you to discuss your current Web site (if one exists) and your reasons for wanting a new design. Perhaps your site looks outdated or has grown so much that everything is too hard to find. In this meeting we outline our processes and establish your major needs and goals in doing the design.

Step 2: Project Cost Estimate Approved

When we have a clear idea of the scope of the project, we will provide you with a written cost estimate. Before we proceed to the next step, you will need to review and approve the estimate.

Once we've met with you and reviewed your existing site, we will have a much clearer idea of exactly what you need and what you hope to get from the new site and we can proceed to develop the structure (the "information architecture") of the new site.

Based on your needs and known best practices for university Web sites, we'll make detailed recommendations for the organization of your site, including a complete site outline.

Step 4: Information Architecture Approval

Your site's information architecture will be the blueprint upon which it is built. As with blue prints for a building, changes half way through construction can cause major problems. As a result, we will meet with you to present our recommendations and receive your feedback, and to get your approval of the information architecture before we proceed to the next step.

Step 5: Design Development

Step 6: Design Approval

Our designers will typically create three "comps" (different designs) for you to choose from. Once we have your final design approval, we can begin to build your site.

Step 7: Template Development

The template development step is simply the process of converting the comps - which are just graphic images - into actual Web pages. Once this step is done, the site is lacking only one thing: content.

Step 8: Content Input, Editing, Proofing

This is the final step to having a real living Web site, and it is often the step with the most delays. Since we can't create the content that must go in your Web site, you will have to provide it to us or enlist our writers to assist in collecting and preparing it.

Once we have your content, we'll get it edited, formatted, and into the site in no time. But be aware that the most common hold up is lack of content. So plan ahead! Once the site's information architecture is approved, you can begin collecting, writing, and organizing your content to fit the site's structure. The earlier and more aggressively you start the content gathering process, the sooner your site will be ready for prime time!

Step 9: Final Site Approval - Go Live

After all the content is in place, Web Services will review the site and check for information flow, design, grammar, style, punctuation, bad links, etc. We ask that you review the site in detail one last time before we make the site live to the world.