3 Foundational Web Development Questions

This is the most important question of all for any commercially oriented website. The only exception to this would be an intranet which is typically not a publicly promoted website, but rather a secure system to exchange private data within a business or organization; regardless of the audience, intranets tend to be highly functional websites that assist people in a variety of daily tasks (see the 'help you get organized' section on this page for more details).

UX - User Experience should always be the primary consideration

Having a website that truly helps your clients may not only bring you new business, but may actually help maintain that all-important customer retention. Such offerings can be something as straight forwards as educational articles or videos that can be accessed for free or for a commission (never forget everyone loves free stuff...always a great way to make friends), a mortgage calculator for home sales, automated email reminders for vehicle maintenance or bill payments, online forms that ask thoughtful questions and engage a visitor more deeply in their own objectives and needs.

If you offer quality information or useful functionality that helps your site visitor achieve their personal goals, they're more likely to come back for more.

Development of these additional features is often forgotten soon after the website has been launched, relegating it to a passive brochure website rather than creating a high-functioning business ambassador, assuring quality assistance for your clients. These additional features come to light by comparing the long-range objectives of your business to your current practices and methodology.

With those details in mind, we can establish a scalable rate of development that meets your budgetary and time demands. Every website should be built with a plan for growth and the evolution of your business.

Navigation & Access are the heart & soul of UX

Providing access will always remain the most helpful offering of all. Your website should revolve around a clear and efficient navigation system that directs your client toward a variety of useful resources. Navigation is the foundational aspect of any successful website. It's the primary functionality that shows you're committed to making life easier for your client by assuring that they find what they are looking for. It's surprising how often this aspect can get lost within efforts to either make the website look unique, resulting in the underestimation of important conventions that a graphic designer might find typical or boring, or when the navigation is lost within too much content, or flashy graphic promotions that overwhelm the viewer.

Navigation is a subtle integration of appealing graphic design that draws the viewer's attention to high usage features, while being sensitive to the tendencies and potential limitations of your unique client base, and also effectively honoring time-proven methods that satisfy the masses. If a client feels distracted or lost within your website, you have a weak navigation system that is sabotaging its helpfulness and likely losing business.