This is an example I tend to use often to explain the website process. It helps to show the phases of the process and the consequences of moving to the next phase early. For the sake of simplification I am going to narrow it down to 3 phases; Plan, Design and Build.
Phase 1: Planning
The homeowner/client has the strongest part in this phase. Designer provides guidance.
A solid plan will always save time, money and make life easier down the road. Here are some questions you would need to answer first before attempting to envision your next house or website. You may subconsciously make these plans or decisions in your head but it always helps to write out your thoughts and it will help when hiring an architect or designer.
For a house you may need to answer questions like:
• What town do I want to live in?
• What size house do I need?
• How many bedrooms do I want?
• Do I want a garage?
• Is central air important?
For a website you will need to answer questions like:
• What domain name do I want?
• What do I need to communicate and what content should it include?
• What is the end goal of the website?
• How big does the site need to be (in pages)?
• Who is the intended audience of the website?
It is important to include the architect or designer in this phase as they will be able to offer their expertise to help you make informed decisions and properly plan for a smooth project.
Phase 2: Design
The designer has the strongest part in this phase. Homeowner/client provides feedback.
At this phase your architect or designer should have a thorough understanding of your project and expectations. The architect or designer should have all (or most) questions answered to begin creating the visuals of what your house or website will look like. A designer should have all (or most) content written for the website into defined pages from the Planning phase to begin designing the website.
If there are too many variables still up in the air then time can be wasted designing the house or website. For example, if the size of the house or what is going on the website is still questionable then it does nobody any good to begin designing anything. If one were to design a small house then it was decided to go bigger, time was just wasted on the first design. Time shouldn’t be spent experimenting with decisions that should have been answered during the previous phase.
The architect will visualize where rooms will go, how the entrance will look and the shape of the house to name a few. A designer will create a color scheme, the size relation between elements, create a user flow and set the typography to name a few.
During this phase the architect or designer may go back and forth with the homeowner/client to revise the design until satisfied. Once the design gets approved then it is time to move into the next phase.
Phase 3: Build
Coder/developer has strongest part in this phase. Homeowner/client has minimal impact.
This phase brings life to your project. All the hard work from the previous two phases should pay off here. Homeowner/client interaction is typically minimal during building since direction should be clear and all decisions should have been made already. The builders should be able to build by following the groundwork from the previous phases. All they must do is follow the design and dimensions provided to them.
Changes at this phase can be costly and delay a project. For example, if you were to tell the builder as they were working that you wanted the house 15 feet longer and the garage on the other side now, this would cause an issue. More materials would be needed, walls would need to be knocked down, electrical and plumbing may need to be reworked – expect the cost of the project and timeframe to increase.
Same holds true with building a website. If a client were to make changes at this phase, code would need to be deleted, rewritten and retested to accommodate the new changes.
The Simple End Result Version
• The house or website will have this
• The house or website will look like this
• The house or website is built
In Conclusion
Having a better understanding of the website process should help your projects be on time and on budget. You will now know at what phases you are required to participate and what your role is. Now you know. And knowing is half the battle!