Web Presence

Wednesday, January 26, 2005

WP Blogging Client's Web Site Development: Part 2

When we last blogged, Deborah Pace, president of F.O.U.N.D. (Friends of Unwanted and Neglected Dogs) was awaiting her first design sample.

Step 3: Previewing the Initial Design Sample

After carefully reviewing the materials Deborah provided, Web Presence developed the following prototype for her review:

And here were a few of Deborah's comments about the first sample:

Wow! We are really going to have a web site! I would like to take a bit more time to look over the text and make a couple of minor changes.

But I'm wondering if you could use a different dog photo in place of the dalmation? Rottweilers are my personal favorites.

How do we proceed with the other pages?

Also, will people be able to find our web site by typing in
www.friendsofdogs.org?

Thank you, Jim, for doing this for us!

Once we received Deborah's feedback, we then sent her a confirmation e-mail asking about other photos she'd like to use on the site as well as confirming that visitors would be able to reach her site by her existing domain name, www.friendsofdogs.org. Deborah then replied with a digital photo for use on the home page, and a few additional revisions. Here's how the revised prototype came out:

In our next entry, we'll provide Deborah a complete working model of her web site and make any last-minute revisions, before issuing a final proof for her review.

Monday, January 24, 2005

WP Blogging Client's Web Site Development: Part 1

Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes when developing a web site? Stay tuned! We'll be blogging the development of an entire site, live -- from the planning phase to final proofing.

The Client: F.O.U.N.D.

Meet F.O.U.N.D (Friends of Unwanted and Neglected Dogs), an animal protection organization based in Valparaiso, Indiana. F.O.U.N.D. seeks to educate the general public about the plight of unwanted and neglected dogs and to assist local shelters and rescue groups in their efforts.

F.O.U.N.D's president, Deborah Pace, believes bringing her organization to the web will help to increase awareness and promote the group's objectives. Deborah contacted Web Presence by e-mail, to request additional information about one of our development programs.

Step 1: Collecting Information

To begin, we've requested some background information from Deborah about her organization. She's provided:

  • F.O.U.N.D.'s mission statement and general history
  • Animal care checklist
  • Coloring book
  • Children's activity worksheets
  • A pamphlet entitled "Be Safe With Dogs"
  • Several newspaper articles

Before deciding what type of web site best suits the organization's needs, we also review several existing sites from other various "competitors." This tells Web Presence what the most current trends are, for this specific market.

Step 2: Analyzing F.O.U.N.D.'s Needs

After reviewing the information, we've decided the best type of site for F.O.U.N.D.'s needs is an informational, multi-page web site, including individuals pages for:

  • The home page (also called the index page)
  • About us
  • Literature
  • Message Forum
  • Links
  • Join Us
  • Contact Us

We've e-mailed Deborah to tell her to expect a first design sample within a few days. In our next entry, we'll show the first design sample developed for F.O.U.N.D., as well as the feedback Deborah and her organiztaion provide about the initial sample.