There are four important phases in creating your web site, which are described in detail below.

1. Planning (Requirements & Written Specifications)
2. Design (Layout, Graphics, Navigation, Usability, Content)
3. Construction (Putting it together)
4. Maintenance (Updates)

Planning your website is the most important step in creating a successful online business. When done with vision and foresight, it will save you considerable time and money down the road. Web Design in Motion will help you through this sometimes-difficult process.

Defining the project

The first question to ask is what you want to accomplish with your web site. There should be a clear and concise objective. Whether you want to sell product or provide information; be specific and drive the visitor to an end objective. We will help you define this objective by asking specific questions about your expectations.

Some questions to ask yourself in preparation are:

• What's the purpose and goals for your website?
• Who's your online target audience?
  
• Who's your online competition?
• How will the site be structured and how many pages do you anticipated?
  
• What kind of first impression do you want to relay to your visitors?
  
• Who will provide materials like photos and copy-content, and how will it be provided?
  
• Will you need any interactive features?
  (database, forms, etc.)
  
• Do you have a corporate identity and logo designed?
  
• What is your maintenance needs (how often will you be updating the content)?
• What is the time frame of your project?

Written Specifications

After the requirements for your web site have been collected, we will transform them into detailed specifications. These specifications define the specific parts of your page and how you want to present them to the visitor. After the specifications are approved we move to the design phase.

In the web design phase the goal is to provide visual representation of thoughts and ideas that were established in the planning step. Creating the look and feel you want. How will your customer navigate around your site and get the information you want to relay. Is the site easy to use and naturally intuitive? Is the content logically presented? Learn how graphics and photos can greatly enhance the message.

A Custom Design Template will be created of the home page. It will be posted online for you to review. We'll discuss likes, dislikes, possible changes, additions, and modifications to the initial design. It's important at this phase to get the design exactly as you want it because it will serve as the style template for the remainder of the site.

The questions below will assist through this phase:

• Do you already have a certain materials in print form that you want to use online to create consistency?
  
• Do you have a corporate identity and or logo?
  
• What "look and feel" is best suited to your business?
  
• Do you have a preference for colors?

Layout (the look and feel of the site)

The layout of your site is what the site will look like and what feeling it will relay to the visitor. Colors, navigation, content and graphics are combined to provide your visitor with the desired experience. We can work with graphic artists who may be responsible for your overall company image or we can create a design for you.

Graphics & Photographs (enhancing your site)

The addition of artwork and photographs greatly enhance the visitor's experience, stimulating the senses and retaining their interest in your site. We can create original artwork, take photographs, scan your artwork or photographs and make adjustments to images. We explain more about these services in the "Services" section.

Navigation (how to get around)

Navigation is one of the most important aspects of your site. No matter how nice a site may look if the visitor is having trouble getting around they will simply leave. It is important not only to provide the correct links to different areas of your site but also to guide the visitor in the direction you want them to go. Letting a visitor aimlessly wander about may not produce the best results. They may get frustrated and leave your site.

Usability (ease of use, visitor success)

Many people may call this design versus functionality. An artist may want the site to look incredible, relaying a powerful feeling. However without functionality there is no objective to the site. We call this functionality "Usability". The visitor must be able to find what they are looking for and you must be able to meet your objective. Therefore compromise must be made between design and usability. Buttons and links must be easily identified. The site must be organized in a way to direct the visitor.

Content (what you want to say)

It doesn't matter in the least how a page looks if there's nothing on it. Content is simply what you want to say. It is the descriptive verbiage that provides information and directs the visitor. It is usually the reason the visitor is perusing your site. Content can be information as well as product.

The construction phase encompasses the merging of the content and images using the approved design template. As the web site is built you will have access to view the progress on our development server. Testing will be performed on links, spelling, browser compatibility and programming code. After you have given final approval the site will be made live on the hosting computer.

Usually a web site is not fixed or final. New information is added, outdated information removed, existing information is modified and generally the site is improved as your business grows. Depending on how you expect your visitor's to come to your web site you may want to submit information to various search engines.