Planning
Planning is one of the most important aspects of any web development project. Thus far, we have examined different elements of the site we will create (structure, content, design). Before we can begin work on any of these elements, we must ask ourselves a few questions to help us to define a purpose for the site and what all it will include (scope).
- Who is the target audience?
- How can I tailor the web site to reach that audience?
- What are the goals for the site?
- How will I gather the information?
- What are my sources for multimedia content?
- What is my budget?
- How long do I have to complete the project?
- Who is on my project team?
- How often should the site be updated?
- Who is responsible for updating the site?
Once you have answered these questions you should have a good idea of where you would like to see the site go. Based on your ideas, craft a statement of purpose for the site.
Example: I will create an accessible and usable web site for my students to keep up with their daily assignments.
With this statement of purpose, you can now begin the process of deciding on what sort of content will be included in the site.
Download Worksheet | Google Doc
Storyboarding
A storyboard is a small sketch that represents every page in a Web site. The storyboard shows the relationship of each page in the site to all of the other pages.
Example:
Based on the purpose statement you just crafted, Take a few minutes to storyboard your web site. As you go through this process think about the end-user of the site as you are naming and grouping information. The goal is to make things as intuitive as possible for your visitors to find the information they need.
Collecting Resources for the Site
- Collect or create all content in a digital format (text, images, audio, video)
- Search Googleto find stock photography and icons
- Keep all of this information in the same location (USB Drive /Personal Web site/assets/resources)
- Remember that your site visitors might have slower Internet connections. Use images, but make sure they are meaningful and properly optimized for the web.