Six phases of Web Development Process

Web development is a comprehensive process that requires intricate planning and execution to ensure a successful outcome. This process can be broadly categorized into six essential phases, according to the Web Interaction Model. These phases represent a framework which encompasses all activities, from the initial conception of an idea to the final deployment and maintenance of the website.

1. Requirement Analysis: This phase is the foundation of the entire web development process. It involves gathering and analyzing the needs of the client or business. The requirements should be clearly defined and documented, including the website's purpose, its target audience, and its required functionalities. This phase may also include conducting market research to understand the competitive landscape, which can inform the website's design and functionality.
2. Planning: Once the requirements are understood, the next phase is to plan the website structure and design. This typically involves creating a sitemap, which outlines the website's main topics and subtopics, and a wireframe, which is a visual guide that represents the basic page layout. This phase also includes determining the required technology stack (the combination of programming languages and software products to be used).
3. Design: In the design phase, the website's visual elements are created. This includes the layout, color scheme, fonts, and imagery. The design should be consistent with the client's brand and appealing to the target audience. The user interface should be intuitive, ensuring that users can easily navigate the site and perform the desired actions.
4. Development: The development phase involves converting the design into a functioning website. This includes front-end development (creating the interface that users interact with) and back-end development (building the server, application, and database that power the site). Developers code the website using various programming languages and frameworks, integrating the necessary functionalities.
5. Testing and Launch: Prior to launch, the website undergoes a thorough testing process. This includes functionality testing, usability testing, interface testing, compatibility testing, performance testing, and security testing. The aim is to identify and fix any bugs or issues. Once the website is verified to be working as expected, it's ready to be launched. The site is transferred from a local development environment to a live server, where it becomes accessible to users.
6. Maintenance and Updates: Post-launch, the website enters a phase of ongoing maintenance and updates. Regular monitoring is needed to ensure the site continues to function correctly, and updates may be required to add new features or address any issues that arise. This phase also includes analyzing user behavior to make data-driven improvements to the website.

The web development process is iterative, meaning that feedback and insights gathered during each phase can inform changes in previous stages. This flexibility is crucial to producing a high-quality website that meets the needs of its users and supports the goals of the client or business.

1. Discovery/RFP: The first step in designing a successful web site is to gather information. Many things need to be taken into consideration when we design the look and feel of your site, so we first ask a lot of questions to help us understand your business and your needs in a web site.
2. Definition: Using the information gathered from phase one, we put together a plan for your web site. Here we develop a site map, a list of all main topic areas of the site, as well as sub-topics (if applicable). This gives us a guide as to what content will be on the site, and is essential to developing a consistent, easy to understand navigational system. This is also the point where we decide what technologies should be implemented , for example, interactive forms, CMS (content management system) such as Cacoon.
3. Design: Drawing from the information gathered up to this point, we determine the look and feel of the site. Target audience is one of the key factors taken into consideration here. A site aimed at non-professionals will look much different than one meant for a financial institution. We also incorporate elements such as the company logo or colors to help strengthen the identity of your company on the web site.
4. Development: This is where the web site itself is created. We take all of the individual graphic elements from the prototype and use them to create the functional web site. We also take your content and distribute it throughout the site, in the appropriate areas. This entire time, you will continue to be able to view your site in the Client Studio, and suggest any additional changes or corrections you would like to have done.
5. Delivery: At this point, we attend to the final details and test your web site. We test things such as the complete functionality of forms or other scripts, we test for last minute compatibility issues (viewing differences between different web browsers), ensuring that the site is optimized to be viewed properly in the most recent browser versions.
6. Post-Delivery: The development of your web site is not necessarily over, though. One way to bring repeat visitors to your site is to offer new content or products on a regular basis. If this interests you, we will be more than happy to continue working together with you to update the information on your web site. We offer maintenance packages at reduced rates, based on how often you anticipate making changes or additions to your site.