Web Development what lies beneath
Website development is about making websites work. More specifically, it’s about making websites work well. Web development encompasses all of the applications and processes hidden beneath a website’s shiny veneer that turn user commands into actions. If web design is the ‘what’, then web development is the ‘how’.
Professional web development – making websites work for businesses
Users love websites that do what they say on the tin. They don’t love sites that require a significant investment of time or effort. Good web development makes for a seamless user experience, where everything the user wants and needs is just a click away and every single permutation and outcome is planned for and accommodated in the design. Versatility and user-friendliness are key factors in the success of a website, with complex websites (such as e commerce sites) in particular benefitting from a thoroughly conceived set of applications and process flows. The best website development simultaneously hides complexity behind simple user interfaces, puts users in control and provides them with everything they need. The best web development goes practically unnoticed by users.
The web developer – bringing websites to life
Examples of typical features a web developer brings to everyday websites are search boxes, data capture forms, enriched content devices (such as video and audio), shopping baskets, security features, customisation and preference panels, and online payment functions for e commerce sites. At the ‘back end’ of a website a web developer can build easy-to-use word processor-style content management systems, enabling administrators to update and edit content and graphics, or change whole sections of a website without the need for any special technical skills or training.
Core objectives of a web developer:
- Promote accessibility
- Enhance usability
- Wrap up in simplicity
Project managed approach – the road to success one step at a time
The road to success is a two way street, and there can be no substitute for open dialogue during the website design and development process. Project managers should provide the vital link between you the client and the web developers and designers working on your project, ensuring any feedback or specification changes are logged and acted on in a timely, efficient manner.
Typical web development and design process:
- Meet with web designer, web developer and project manager
- Set out parameters for design and development
- Quotation
- Refine and agree functional specifications
- Present first stage design treatments
- Amend / refine design and pass to lead web developer
- Web developer builds site functionality
- Test / refine
- Sign off
- Go live