Summary Chapter 2: The Modern Web Design Process.

The modern web design process involves a holistic approach that takes both form and
function into account. It requires a clear understanding of the website's purpose and
goals, as well as the target audience and competition. The process typically involves the
following steps:

1. Goal identification: Determine what goals the new website needs to fulfill and
what its purpose is. Identify the website's target audience and develop a working
knowledge of the competition.

2. Scope definition: Define the scope of the project, including what pages and
features the site requires to fulfill the goal, and the timeline for building those out. Use a
Gantt chart or other timeline visualization to set boundaries and achievable deadlines.

3. Sitemap and wireframe creation: Define how the content and features defined in
scope definition will interrelate. Use a sitemap to provide a clear idea of the website's
information architecture and explain the relationships between the various pages and
content elements. Use wireframes to provide a framework for storing the site's visual
design and content elements, and to help identify potential challenges and gaps with the
sitemap.

4. Content creation: Create content for the individual pages, always keeping search
engine optimization (SEO) in mind to help keep pages focused on a single topic. Use real
content to work with for the next stage.

5. Visual elements: Work on the visual brand, using style tiles, moodboards, and
element collages to help with the process.

6. Testing: Make sure everything works by combining manual browsing of the site
on a variety of devices with automated site crawlers to identify everything from user
experience issues to simple broken links.

7. Launch: Plan and execute the site launch, including planning both launch timing
and communication strategies. Consider a "soft" launch to sharpen interest and seek
feedback. Promote the site to relevant audiences and keep a close eye on performance.

8. Post-launch: Keep promoting the site, home in on analytics and feedback, and
iterate as needed.
Creating scarcity and inviting feedback for a website launch can be achieved through a
"soft" launch, where access is made scarce to sharpen interest, and feedback is sought
from influencers and the target audience. The full launch should be promoted to relevant
audiences, and performance should be closely monitored.
Source: The Modern Website Process (pdf)