Our Website Development Process
Discovery
Requirements Definition
We will work closely with your project team to collect information about specific website requirements using our standard Q&A templates. Based on these we will create a formal list of required website features and functionality. We will also work with you to articulate your Unique Selling Proposition (USP).
User Research
In this area we will work together with you to create personas which represent typical visitors to your website. These fictional characters will comprise the target website audience and inform the subsequent project phases. We will also create use cases and scenarios which describe the ways in which we can expect our personas to use and interact with the website, and under what circumstances.
Strategy
A website is a complex marketing tool that only succeeds if put to effective and proper use. We will define the project goals, review your competitors’ websites, see what other industry players are doing online, and then apply all that information to the process of creating your new website. We’ll contextualize this information within your current and planned marketing efforts to create a cohesive website strategy.
Design
Site Structure
Here we’ll map out your entire site in an easy-to-read sitemap format, always keeping the end user in mind. We have experience working with websites large and small, organizing content and pages in a way that makes the right information easy for users to find.
Information Architecture (IA)
A wireframe acts as the blueprint of your website. Before applying any styles or color, wireframing allows us to focus on content and the hierarchy of information, giving the most visibility to the most important items. We will to create wireframes for all page types (templates) in the site. Layouts for both desktop and smartphone (and optionally tablets) will be created for each template.
Best Practices
The websites we create at Netwise are more than just pretty pixels. First and foremost, a website has to be easy to use. There is a reason behind every line and color that goes into our designs, all working toward the goal of easy, seamless usability. A website that doesn’t make users think and simply guides them toward the goal is a true winner.
Branding
Before diving into the visual design, we’ll review your brand guidelines, print materials and all other marketing initiatives to ensure we create an extension of your brand. We want users to experience a cohesive image and message as they move through your marketing materials, enhancing brand recognition. With Netwise, you’ll get a website that exemplifies your brand, delivered to you on time and within budget.
Visual Design
This is where the "look-and-feel" of the website is created, and represents one of the most important areas of the design process overall. Our goal here will be to create "full color" visual designs for all templates which are attractive and result in an intuitive, easy-to-use user interface (UI). This and the other design phase activities will be conducted iteratively and in close collaboration with your project team.
Build
Once the design is approved we'll get to work building the website. The build portion of the project will involve the following activities:
Markup
Each of the unique page templates that was created in the Design phase earlier will be marked up in standards-compliant HTML and CSS. As part of the markup process we will also optimize the pages for search engines and social media. Finally, we will ensure the code is lightweight and tuned for quick loading.
Development & Coding
Once the templates have been marked up, optimized, and validated for W3C compliance we will next apply them to the CMS and begin implementing the front-end features and functionality. We will also customize and extend the platform (core CMS, plug-ins, and database) to support the required functionality. Integration with external systems (such as booking and reservation systems) will be completed here as well.
Custom Functionality
Sometimes the ready-to-wear options just won’t cut it, and that’s where custom development comes in. We’ve built countless bespoke components that help take our websites to the next level. Whether you need a product finder, custom map integration, or something totally new, we can build something specific to your business needs that will integrate with your internal systems for a truly custom fit.
Content
SEO
We all know SEO is a major component of any successful website, but with Netwise, you’ll have an SEO strategy built right in to your new website. Keyword research, competitor reviews, strategic content placement and more will ensure your newly-launched site is ready to compete in the industry search rankings.
Content Migration
Getting the content from your current website to the new one and inputting all of the new content you have is an important part of any website development process. Here we’ll help you make short work of this laborious process by helping your get the content into an easily portable format and/or handling all of the content migration tasks for you.
Testing
Browsers
We'll thoroughly test the website across a range of common web browsers, including Safari, Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer (from Version 10). We'll test the responsive design on iPhone and Android devices (tablets and smartphones).
Functionality
We'll test the functionality of the site to ensure there are no errors or broken links, then hand it over to you to review on a test server. We will also test integrations with other systems (e.g. - Google Analytics), form error messages, and other functions to ensure that the entire platform works as expected end-to-end. Our website QA process concludes with our signing a Certification of Testing & Website Readiness document which we will provide to you at that time.
Launch & Beyond
Infrastructure
If you like we will be happy to host the new website on a server in Amazon's cloud service AWS. We will configure the server instance, set up website hosting and databases, install and configure the necessary CMS and other software, and install and additional software applications or extensions as required. Our hosted websites are monitored 24/7 and backed up every four hours.
Launch!
Throughout the entire project, we’re all working toward a successful launch. To ensure everything goes smoothly, we establish a project timeline from the beginning and raise our hands if anything comes up that might affect the budget or launch date. Prior to launch, we’ll provide a rundown of exactly how the launch day will go so you don’t have any surprises.
Post-launch Monitoring & Support
Our testing and QA process is thorough, but sometimes issues are discovered only after the website goes live. That's why we provide a 90-day support and monitoring period which begins on the day we launch the new website. During this period we will swiftly correct any bugs or errors that are discovered, and do so at no additional charge.
Support & Maintenance
Do you want the ability to easily update your website? You got it. Prefer to leave it to the experts and have us maintain the site? No problem. We offer easy-to-use content management systems and training, allowing you to update your own site, plus a variety of website support packages if you prefer to have Netwise handle some or all ongoing operational and support tasks.
Discovery
Requirements Definition
We will work closely with your project team to collect information about specific website requirements using our standard Q&A templates. Based on these we will create a formal list of required website features and functionality. We will also work with you to articulate your Unique Selling Proposition (USP).User Research
In this area we will work together with you to create personas which represent typical visitors to your website. These fictional characters will comprise the target website audience and inform the subsequent project phases. We will also create use cases and scenarios which describe the ways in which we can expect our personas to use and interact with the website, and under what circumstances.
Strategy
A website is a complex marketing tool that only succeeds if put to effective and proper use. We will define the project goals, review your competitors’ websites, see what other industry players are doing online, and then apply all that information to the process of creating your new website. We’ll contextualize this information within your current and planned marketing efforts to create a cohesive website strategy.
Design
Site Structure
Here we’ll map out your entire site in an easy-to-read sitemap format, always keeping the end user in mind. We have experience working with websites large and small, organizing content and pages in a way that makes the right information easy for users to find.Information Architecture (IA)
A wireframe acts as the blueprint of your website. Before applying any styles or color, wireframing allows us to focus on content and the hierarchy of information, giving the most visibility to the most important items. We will to create wireframes for all page types (templates) in the site. Layouts for both desktop and smartphone (and optionally tablets) will be created for each template.
Best Practices
The websites we create at Netwise are more than just pretty pixels. First and foremost, a website has to be easy to use. There is a reason behind every line and color that goes into our designs, all working toward the goal of easy, seamless usability. A website that doesn’t make users think and simply guides them toward the goal is a true winner.Branding
Before diving into the visual design, we’ll review your brand guidelines, print materials and all other marketing initiatives to ensure we create an extension of your brand. We want users to experience a cohesive image and message as they move through your marketing materials, enhancing brand recognition. With Netwise, you’ll get a website that exemplifies your brand, delivered to you on time and within budget.
Visual Design
This is where the "look-and-feel" of the website is created, and represents one of the most important areas of the design process overall. Our goal here will be to create "full color" visual designs for all templates which are attractive and result in an intuitive, easy-to-use user interface (UI). This and the other design phase activities will be conducted iteratively and in close collaboration with your project team.
Build
Markup
Each of the unique page templates that was created in the Design phase earlier will be marked up in standards-compliant HTML and CSS. As part of the markup process we will also optimize the pages for search engines and social media. Finally, we will ensure the code is lightweight and tuned for quick loading.Development & Coding
Once the templates have been marked up, optimized, and validated for W3C compliance we will next apply them to the CMS and begin implementing the front-end features and functionality. We will also customize and extend the platform (core CMS, plug-ins, and database) to support the required functionality. Integration with external systems (such as booking and reservation systems) will be completed here as well.
Custom Functionality
Sometimes the ready-to-wear options just won’t cut it, and that’s where custom development comes in. We’ve built countless bespoke components that help take our websites to the next level. Whether you need a product finder, custom map integration, or something totally new, we can build something specific to your business needs that will integrate with your internal systems for a truly custom fit.
Content
SEO
We all know SEO is a major component of any successful website, but with Netwise, you’ll have an SEO strategy built right in to your new website. Keyword research, competitor reviews, strategic content placement and more will ensure your newly-launched site is ready to compete in the industry search rankings.Content Migration
Getting the content from your current website to the new one and inputting all of the new content you have is an important part of any website development process. Here we’ll help you make short work of this laborious process by helping your get the content into an easily portable format and/or handling all of the content migration tasks for you.
Testing
Browsers
We'll thoroughly test the website across a range of common web browsers, including Safari, Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer (from Version 10). We'll test the responsive design on iPhone and Android devices (tablets and smartphones).Functionality
We'll test the functionality of the site to ensure there are no errors or broken links, then hand it over to you to review on a test server. We will also test integrations with other systems (e.g. - Google Analytics), form error messages, and other functions to ensure that the entire platform works as expected end-to-end. Our website QA process concludes with our signing a Certification of Testing & Website Readiness document which we will provide to you at that time.
Launch & Beyond
Infrastructure
If you like we will be happy to host the new website on a server in Amazon's cloud service AWS. We will configure the server instance, set up website hosting and databases, install and configure the necessary CMS and other software, and install and additional software applications or extensions as required. Our hosted websites are monitored 24/7 and backed up every four hours.Launch!
Throughout the entire project, we’re all working toward a successful launch. To ensure everything goes smoothly, we establish a project timeline from the beginning and raise our hands if anything comes up that might affect the budget or launch date. Prior to launch, we’ll provide a rundown of exactly how the launch day will go so you don’t have any surprises.
Post-launch Monitoring & Support
Our testing and QA process is thorough, but sometimes issues are discovered only after the website goes live. That's why we provide a 90-day support and monitoring period which begins on the day we launch the new website. During this period we will swiftly correct any bugs or errors that are discovered, and do so at no additional charge.Support & Maintenance
Do you want the ability to easily update your website? You got it. Prefer to leave it to the experts and have us maintain the site? No problem. We offer easy-to-use content management systems and training, allowing you to update your own site, plus a variety of website support packages if you prefer to have Netwise handle some or all ongoing operational and support tasks.