I found this great article over at A List Apart, Avoid Edge Cases by Designing Up Front by Ben Henick. A list apart is one of the best online journals for finding information and articles about web design and programming written by seasoned professionals. A list apart is pretty strict about who is allowed to author articles, ensuring that each entry is very well written and provides tremendous value.

Henick's article was no different. In Avoid[ing] Edge Cases by Designing Up Front, Henick outlines, in great detail, a number of problems and solutions to planning for success when designing or beginning a large scale web project. What I found most amusing, and of import note was the following:

[I]t has been my experience that too often, a graphic designer will begin a project by building composites or prototypes with the goal of creating an attractive site. While there's nothing wrong with attractiveness, the look and behavior of a site need to be driven by its objectives.

For "brochure" sites, an emphasis on aesthetic value is probably acceptable, because many brochure-site sponsors are reluctant to pay for an extensive project-planning phase. Their reluctance isn't unfair, since most brochure sites have the same business objective: to provide a basic yet attractive web presence for the client, without requiring much in the way of application functionality or other components which require keen attention to the details of the user experience.

However, if the demands of the project go beyond the scope of a brochure, it's wise to do some assessment and planning before anyone opens their tools. The six steps outlined above might be adequate for simple sites, but…not every site is simple.

I disagree that, "for 'brochure' sites, an emphasis on aesthetic value is probably acceptable." Too often I have seen brochure site owners, unwilling to spend time or money on research, or development, opting for the quickest, template-like solutions. These same site owners are then the first to complain when results are unsatisfactory. Some type of compromise needs to be reached. In today's digital marketing world, even the simplest brochure sites will need to open up (either in front-end user functionality and features, or through different back end avenues and solutions in order to fully exploit the potential of digital, internet marketing).

And the extent to which planning must be done increases exponentially with the size and scope of the overall project.

Larger, non-brochure type sites do require extensive planning and clearly defined goals and guidelines. At the end of the article Henick's proposes the following as an outlined planning process:

1. Assess objectives and requirements

2. Conduct scenarios

3. Produce wireframes (and establish site architecture)

4. Produce sketches, comps, and (if necessary) prototypes

5. Draft the style guide

6. Produce templates and stylesheets

7. Write code

8. Test presentation and behavior

9. Reconcile test results, if possible

10. Publish

With the exception of step 3. or step 5. most of these steps were the same steps my team and I followed during the production of one of our largest projects to date, The SERVS management system. Florida Gulf Coast (the University I am currently attending, and where my business partner Harry Casimir is trying to attain his MBA) enlisted our help in creating a system to management the connection of Educators (new teachers looking to learn more about their desired profession and grade level) with SERVS Mentors (veteran teachers willing to coach and mentor new teachers).

The site, which took nearly three months to create required extensive planning, including, most importantly an assessment of objectives and requirements, and conducting scenarios. Of little importance was aesthetic design (or the attractiveness of the system), the role I was assigned to fulfill. First and foremost, the design had to be user-friendly, and secondarily, it had to be extensible. We had to keep in mind that both older, less-computer savvy teachers might be using and registering on the system, and so would more digitally comfortable users. In the end, a design was approved that was attractive (which aided in the overall approval of the full scale project and helped "WOW" FGCU administrators), but primarily it was use able and extensible for the coders.

I would propose an 11th and final step to Henick's list, a step that many people forget exists. It is often neglected, but it is almost always present, testing & maintenance. Ongoing, post-published, testing and maintenance and constant reviews with the site/system owners will help ensure the project's continued success. As a secondary bonus, this constant testing & maintenance can be a continued source of revenue for a site designer as well as a consistent resource for project planning & client management. Review your mistakes, don't make them on your next project, implement plans that streamline some of the hurdles you had to get over during your first attempt.

Stay Tuned for Part 2 of this article where I will discuss in more depth, Web Site Project Planning, Specifically the final step, how to plan and accommodate post-launch processes.