Our Process
Our Web Design Process
How we go about achieving the results you need
At The SeedMill we have a distinctive process that we go through which has been tested and proven over time. Our web design process has been created to make sure that you have every opportunity to feedback and influence the outcome of your website.
Below we have broken down our processes and how we go about providing you with a web presence that really works for your business. There's lots of research and discussion involved and we try to ensure that we have a deep understanding of exactly what it is you need before building you a solution.
How our process works
1 Initial Discussions
This can take place either in person or over the phone. We will discuss what it is that you are trying to achieve and where you want to go. Crucially we will talk with you to set goals and objectives asking the right questions in order for us and you to understand what the main requirements are.
As part of this discussion process we will also perform a minor audit of your current website (if you have one) so that we can get a better understanding of the technical areas our discussions may not cover.
2 Proposal
We try to keep our proposals concise and to the point giving only the information that you and we need to ensure that we're on the same page. We will break down the proposal into constituent parts, providing our suggested approach along with your direct requirements as far as we have understood them.
Once accepted the proposal will then form the backbone of the project going forward as it becomes an agreement between us to what has been agreed.
3 Consultation
Depending on the project you have asked us to help you with, we will provide a consultation period which will include in-depth discovery discussions. These discussions will allow us to get every last detail of what we need in order to start your project, whilst providing you with valuable guidance on your online strategy going forward.
At this stage we will provide you with advice on a breakdown of your project with schedules as well as understanding more detail on your marketing strategy and how best to support that.
4 Sitemap
A sitemap is the next and most fundamental step in the project (if delivering a website). This is where we will map out all of the sections and pages of the website, clearly identifying the various content and general navigation structure.
This is where we get a detailed understanding of how much content we will need from you, along with planing the customer journey through your website.
The sitemaps are very quick to create and provide iterations on from your feedback.
5 Content
We will need to start gathering content (images and text) from you at this stage in order to move onto the prototypes / wireframes in the next stage. Whilst we don't have to have every last bit of content from you, the important and pivotal areas of the website will need to be in place. We will have provided you with a good indication of what is needed during the sitemap stage.
If you need templates to work from or ideas on where to obtain images, we can help you here. Or, if the proposal allowed for us to source some key images for you will provide them.
6 Prototype
This step will provide you with a 'rough' of the final website. This stage is crucial to get right and map the various content areas for key pages on the website. Our prototypes are delivered as a website, enabling you to see 'in-browser' how the layout and content will work in the website.
This step does not provide you with a finished design! Instead, you will see more of 'wireframe' appearance on the prototype with simple lines and text describing the layout and how the navigation will operate. The prototypes are also quick to iterate on providing you with plenty of scope for feedback.
7 Design
Now we get to the really fun part! Taking your feedback into account we will design your website using all of the processes we have undertaken to get to this point. Every stage so far serves to inform the design process.
We aim to really bring the prototype to life and will get into your business and brand to represent your unique you in the best light possible. We will be designing for the best possible user experience for your target market, paying special attention to calls-to-action and delivery of key messaging to ensure that your website has a good potential conversion rate.
8 Development & Testing
This is the final development layer as some of the development will have been done during the prototype phase. At this stage will hook up your contact forms and test them and we will develop the more complex areas of the website that may have only been included as minimal functionality up to this point.
Once we have risen out from being neck deep in code, we will start testing and running through our quality assurance routines, ensuring that your launch is as smooth as possible.
9 Launch
This is it! We will have performed a last run of testing prior to launching the website (once you have approved us to do so). We will click all of the various buttons that we need to launch the website live.
We provide another layer of testing here as soon as the website is pushed live. We will test the website load performance and optimise the website for extra performance. We also provide a 1 month warranty outside of our normal care plans, whereby we will cover any errors if in the unlikely event that we have made some. We will also cover any technical issues should they arise.
10 Support
If you have chosen to take out a Care Plan package with us, then, depending on the Care Plan support package that you have with us we will be monitoring, maintaining and / or consulting with you to constantly improve your online presence. We will also be making SEO amends and helping to continually improve your website presence with the search engines.
Whilst not all companies feel that they need this layer and may have internal resources to handle this, we do recommend that some sort of consultancy is provided on an ongoing basis. Even if it is only minimal assistance that we provide.
Ready to take the next step?
If you want to find out more about our web design process and how it can help you to build an effective online presence that just works for your business, contact us today.