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Lesson 3 Web Development Process Model
ObjectiveReview the Web Development Process Model

Web Development Process Model

The term "Web Development Process Model" isn't universally standardized, so there can be variations in how different organizations or individuals describe it. However, many models of web development do indeed follow a structured, cyclical process, often involving several phases. Here's a general overview that might align with what you're describing:
  1. Planning - This phase involves defining the scope of the project, setting objectives, and understanding the target audience's needs. It often includes creating project plans and timelines.
  2. Analysis - Here, requirements are gathered, and functional specifications are developed. This phase includes understanding what the website needs to do to meet business goals.
  3. Design - This is where the visual and interaction design happens. It includes creating wireframes, mockups, and prototypes. The phase often results in design documents, which might include:
    • Information Architecture (IA)
    • User Interface (UI) designs
    • User Experience (UX) designs
    • Style guides
    • Interaction designs
    A design team typically completes these documents, outlining how the website will look and function.
  4. Development - In this phase, the actual coding of the website takes place. Developers translate the design documents into functional websites using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and backend technologies.
  5. Testing - This involves various types of testing like usability testing, compatibility testing across different devices and browsers, performance testing, and ensuring the site meets accessibility standards.
  6. Deployment and Maintenance - The site goes live, but this phase also includes ongoing maintenance, updates, and iterations based on user feedback and analytics.

Given this structure:
  • Yes, the Web Development Process Model can indeed be conceptualized as a six-phase cycle.
  • Yes, it typically requires a design team to complete design documents during the design phase. These documents are crucial for guiding the development team in building the site according to the planned visual and functional specifications.

However:
  • Not all models might strictly adhere to six phases; some might combine or split phases differently.
  • The requirement for design documents can vary based on project size, team composition, or methodology (like Agile vs. Waterfall), but in most structured approaches, some form of design documentation is almost always necessary to communicate design intents accurately to developers.

Review the Web Development Process Model

The Web site development process is a six-phase cycle that requires a design team to complete design documents, called deliverables, before proceeding to the next phase. Activities for completing the deliverables are assigned to specific members of the design team at each phase in the process. The development cycle begins with Discovery and concludes with the Post-Delivery phase. However, as you will see, the cycle does not really end, but loops back to the Discovery phase, accounting for one of the few absolutes regarding Web design: The site is never final. Pay close attention to which documents are delivered at each phase, and think about how they fit into the process at that point.
The following section illustrates the phases and the major deliverables of each phase. Website Development Process.
Website Development Process Model
Six Phases of Website development Process
Six Phases of Website development Process

Web Development
Discovery Phase
Statement of Need, Request for proposal (RFP) developed
Definition
Response or Proposal, phase concludes with signed contract
Design
Marketing Plan, Creative Brief, Navigational Brief, Editorial Brief, Requirements Definition document, Design and Architecture Specification
Development
Proceed through production of Web site
Delivery
Site documentation, Maintenance plan, Quality Assurance Plan, Legal documentation
Post-Delivery
Maintenance checklists, usage metrics

  • When does the process end? Web site development is continuous and iterative. Once a site is launched, it continues to grow and evolve. Each time a component is added to a site, the Web development team is likely to follow an abridged version of the original development process, adding to the original deliverables information about new features. In the process cycle, Post-Delivery loops back to Discovery.
  • What are the documents? Throughout the Web Site Development Process, the Web team will work with the various components of the Web Interaction Model. For example, during the Design phase, the team will initially describe the signs and metaphors in a document often referred to as the Creative Brief. The information architecture is detailed in the Navigational Brief and strategies regarding software, hardware, and the network are described in the Requirements Definition and the Design and Architecture Specification.
The following series of images provide a high level model for how the process works:

1) Discovery comes first, when initial contact between parties is established, and general requirements are assessed.
1) Discovery comes first, when initial contact between parties is established, and general requirements are assessed.

2) In the Definition phase, the client and the Web design team develop a contract based on client needs and Web team capabilities
2) In the Definition phase, the client and the Web design team develop a contract based on client needs and Web team capabilities. The phase concludes with a signed contract.

3) When the needs are defined, the team outlines their ideas in the Design phase.
3) When the needs are defined, the team outlines their ideas in the Design phase.

4) With approval of the design, the team can proceed to carry out the plan in the Development phase
4) With approval of the design, the team can proceed to carry out the plan in the Development phase

5) The team delivers the finished product to the client in the Delivery phase
5) The team delivers the finished product to the client in the Delivery phase

6) Post Delivery completes the procedure with documentation and plans for ongoing maintenance
6) Post-Delivery: completes the procedure with documentation and plans for ongoing maintenance, including site metrics. The cycle then loops the whole process back again to the Discovery phase.

The next lesson provides the opportunity to become reacquainted with WebTeam.


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