Development a site – stages and key moments
In the Internet there is a great number of different sites. Each of them has the subject, aims, and features. There are similar sites or cardinally different sites. There are commercial and noncommercial sites. In general, a variety and amount of existent sites is great. Creation of each of them has its own features and important key moments. But, in spite of it, the process of creation of any site can be divided into a few stages that would be typical for all of them. So, let us consider every stage:
Stage 1 – planning.
On this stage the general plan of site is created. Tasks that a site should accomplish, its target audience and thematic orientation are determined, and also the preferences of customer and his requirements to the design and programmatic filling of future site are clarified. As a rule, all of this takes place at the close collaboration of developer with a customer. The manager of web studio collects all necessary information for a client, then specialists in the internet marketing form the basic conception of a site and co-ordinate it with a client. Thus time which occupies the planning stage depends straight on plenitude and accuracy of information which is given by a customer.
Stage 2 – Elaboration, concordance and signing of the technical task.
After a basic plan of a site is worked out, a technical elaboration is developed (TE). TE is the plan of action for designers and programmers of web server of the studio. All requirements for the site are described there, both to its design and to the programmatic modules. Usually TE consists of a few sections, such as:
General information – the area of activity of company, what aims a site is created for, who is the target audience of a site, what impression a site must produce on a visitor are described. Also in this section the examples of sites, which a customer likes and dislikes, are given.
The basic requirements to the design of a site – are the preference on the color gamut of a site, brand-name style of a company (if the brand-name style is not present, a description what it must be), whether there is a logotype of a company and other requirements and wishes, related to outward look of a site.
Technical description of site is a list of sections of a site, wishes to the navigation of a site (how many menus should there be on a site, what level of nesting of a menu is assumed, requirements to dynamics of a menu etc.), list of programmatic modules that must be realized on a site.
Additional information is any requirements and wishes, which did not enter previous sections.
Technical task is developed by the employees of the web studio, conforms with the customer and after this it is signed by the both sides, a customer and an executor. The more carefully a technical task is developed, the more information it contains, than it would be guaranteed that the created site will fully conform to all requirements of a customer.
Stage 3- Creation of the design of a site
The designer of the web studio, after getting the part of technical task, proceeds with the development of design of a site, taking into account all requirements and wishes of a customer. On this stage one or a few variants of design of site are created, in dependence of agreement of customer with a developer. The amount of variants, as a rule, is indicated in ТE. From the models of a site given by a designer, a customer chooses the most suitable one. If necessary, a designer finishes the chosen model. Since all wishes and requirements of the client are taken into account, the model of site is finally conformed with the customer and development of site passes to the next stage.
Stage 4 - Make-up
On this stage the imposer of the web studio transfers the created graphic design of a site in html -code, for possibility of placing the site in the internet. An imposer should closely co-operate with the programmers of the studio, as a make-up and programming are constrained with each other and from the way a site will be made its further filling depends. On the stage of make-up it is important to pay attention to the validity of the code, i.e. on accordance of html -code with the modern technical requirements. In addition, the created make-up must foresee the possibility of further development of a site, that in the future, if necessary, it was possible to add some new programmatic modules and it was not cardinally necessary to redo the make-up of a site. As a result of implementation of this stage, a static site, which contains all elements of design, but does not execute any function, is created.
Stage 5 – Programming of a site
A site with make-up is passed to the department of programming. On this stage the programmers of web-studio "revive" a site, i.e. fill it with programmatic modules and functions, according to a requirement specification. At first, the basic system of management of a site is determined, and then the additional functional modules are connected. Exactly this stage requires from the developer special professional knowledge not only in programming, but in the whole area of modern information technologies, as efficiency of work of a site depends on which technologies will its elaboration be performed. Therefore the programmers of web studio must choose the instruments of development of a site, basing on modern requirements and taking into account the individual features of every site.
Stage 6 – Filling the site with textual and graphic material
On this stage a site is filled with the text and graphic information given by a customer. The employees of web studio can also select, create or advise the content for Your site, in case such service is foreseen by an agreement on development of the site.
Stage 7 – Publication in the Internet
This stage implies the transfer of the already created site to a server that is constantly accessible in the Internet. A service of giving the access to such server is called hosting. You can buy this service yourself or You can entrust it to the developer of Your site. Except hosting, Your site needs the domain name yet. The domain name is an address on which Your site will be accessible for visitors. You can choose and buy the domain name yourself, or you can charge this to the developer of site. As speed, stability of work of Your site and its traffic will depend on the chosen domain name and hosting, it is most reasonable to charge both to the professionals, i.e. to the developers of Your site. It is desirable to buy hosting and domain beforehand, a few days before you want to see the site in the Internet. This is due to the fact that the new domain name should be registered at first, and then wait till the information of dns -servers of the internet providers of the whole world would revive. This process usually occupies not more than 24th hours, but sometimes can last even longer. After hosting and domain is prepaid, the workers of web studio transfer the prepared site on a server and test its work, correcting all errors and inaccuracies that arose up during the transfer of the site. The result of completion of this stage of elaboration is the prepared site that meets all requirements of the client.
