Working with Firefly - Website Design

Just how does a professional design group operate? The truth is, every firm has a different approach to project administration and utilizes unique design patterns. At Firefly, experience has taught us that the best results come from open communication, careful planning and well-stated objectives. With that in mind, we've developed an eight-stage process to help guide each web production from start to finish.

Act I - Initial Consultation

The initial consultation can take place either in person or over the phone, and is generally used to discuss the scope and direction of the project in question. Naturally, this is also a time when we determine whether the project is a good fit for Firefly given the tentative timeline and requirements expressed by the client. In many cases Firefly can provide an estimate on development costs after the initial consultation, but a final quote will depend upon the requirements analysis. The consultation is free of charge.

Act II - Requirements Analysis

Many companies and individuals approach the development of a new website with a fair amount of uncertainty; to help ameliorate this, Firefly has developed a brief set of questions that help the client distill their ideas into a clear and usable form.

Act III - Contractual Agreement

The contractual agreement provides a clear outline of the services provided, project timeline, and payment schedule. Project scope and other specifics are based directly upon client responses to the requirements document. Other key elements include the usage rights granted and materials deadline.

Act IV - Materials Deadline

Unless other arrangements have been made in accordance with the contract, Firefly requires that all primary site materials, including but not limited to existing logos, site text, photography and data fields, be provided before work commences on the site. For instance, Firefly provides both photographic and copy services, but these must be purchased separately.

All submitted text must be in a common digital file format such as Microsoft Word, RTF or plain text - email is perfectly acceptable. Firefly does not offer data entry services.

As stated in the contract, all production materials must be received by the materials deadline. If they are not, the project timeline and/or fee will be reopened for negotiation. This is necessary because Firefly routinely schedules projects in sequence several months ahead of time. If materials are not available during our scheduled timeframe, the client is likely to face considerable delays or additional fees commensurate with additional designers and/or the rescheduling of other projects.

Act V - Mockups, Storyboards and Site Plan

During the first phase of website production a detailed site plan and a static (non-functional) mockup of the design aesthetic is generated. In general, these previews of the overall 'look and feel' of the site are created in Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator or a similar program, and provided for approval via a PDF, JPEG or as an Ink Jet print if the client does not have Internet access.

Act VI - Programming & Database Development

Once the client has given Firefly approval to move ahead with the design outlined in Act V, work begins on the database development and programming required to place the site on the web. For most projects this phase is the longest and most complicated. Frequently Act VI begins by creating a hand-coded XHTML 1.0 Transitional version of the materials present in the approved mockup. Once this is functional, the database is designed and populated, while PHP, Java, or Python scripts are programmed to provide site functionality and manage the interaction between the database (usually MySQL) and the public viewable website.

Act VII - Beta Testing & Revisions

With the beginning of Act VII, a fully functional version of the site is available on Firefly's staging server for close scrutiny. During this phase small revisions to the site are accomplished for the client. Meanwhile, the site is heavily tested for robust support on different platforms and browsers. Firefly routinely tests designs on Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, Opera, Mozilla and Firefox for Windows, and Internet Explorer 5.5, Safari and Firefox for Macintosh.

During this phase the site is also validated against the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) standards for XHTML 1.0 Strict or Transitional websites.

Act VIII - Public Launch

With the final revisions and cross-platform performance modifications in place, Firefly launches the site on the client's public domain.