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Get your web site idea started today!
Here are the answers to your questions?
What technology do I need?
You may think to start with this question. Do you know that your web site
may never get off the ground because of this question.
Consider the range of answers from HTML, CGI, PHP, Perl, ASP, mySQL, Cookies, Sessions,
Flash, Animated GIFs, FTP, Adobe Acrobat, DOM, JPegs, Cold Fusion, .Net, Java, Javascript, Linux, Security
to just get you started on the long ever evolving list.
Incorrect technology decisions can actually doom a new web site to failure.
Common Technology Pitfalls
Site expansion restricted by the selected technology
Extra costs to use the technology Excessive and unnecssary band width consumption Difficult maintenance Slow site response time
How do I avoid technology problems?
Technology is a by product of a three step design by decision process.
Three Step Design By Decision Process
Information Decisions - What is it?
Interaction Decisions - How does it work? Presentation Decisions - What does it look like? At the onset of your new web site project you focus on information decisions. These are real business decisions that you are accustomed to solving.
Information Decisions
Information decisions focus on the purpose, objectives, audience and the
content of your web site. These decisions form the framework for decisions to follow.
When made correctly the remain part of your web site development is less expensive
and predictable.
As the information decisions are completed, your focus may shift to how people need to use your web site. The information decisions help frame this step as you know who is using what information on your site. Experience web designers can help you with effective interfaces to match the experience you want for users of your web site.
Interactive Decisions
Information decisions identify the overall navigation through a web site.
Consideration is given for content organization and chunking.
Every user interaction is identified. How much user control
is weighed for every user interaction because each results in a software development
and testing cost. At this point you know exactly how your site is used and begin looking
for functionality and usability problems before they become software reprogramming
costs.
In addition to starting with technology, often web site planners start with addressing how they want their web site to look. You may consider this the skin to the web site. The skin can be considered early in the project, however a web site skin could be changed without effecting your information and interactivity decisions. A site with a good looking skin, but ill-considered information and interactivity planning is a site visitors do not return.
Presentation Decisions
Presentation decisions include the color, graphic, fonts, and layout themes.
Presentation looks at the information, purpose, audience to find appealing matches.
No matter how small or large your web site idea, the decision making process is the same. In fact small web sites benefit as much as large web sites, because the cost shifts from computer technicians to managers of computer technicians. A small site could go through the entire process in a single day from start to finish.
Consider our help in your web site project. We like the decision process above.
Call us for a free consultation at
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