LimeFlies Development Process

Step 1 the Discovery Phase

Before Lime Flies Development provide a formal proposal for a website, the "Discovery Phase" must take place. It has been our experience over the years that without having a deep understanding of a client's needs and objectives, an accurate concise proposal cannot be prepared. Below is a description of the Lime Flies Development"Discovery phase" and why it's so important. The importance of the discovery phase is to establishes prototypes for the functionality which will be developed throughout the website Modern websites and website applications have grown to become much more complex than those of the past. E-commerce websites, Content Management Systems, Social Networks, and Interactive Multimedia all contain hundreds of "moving parts" that have to work together simultaneously. Wire frames are the blueprints that provide software engineers with a structured execution plan.

Develops an Information Architecture plan which is content based, rather than design/UI based

Information Architecture is the structuring of how your website's content will be organized, and how your site can best meet the usability needs of your audience. A website design which is executed without first establishing such a strategy, is one that you will likely be redesigning in the near future.

Puts all parties on the same page

There is often a language barrier between agencies and their clients when it comes to verbalizing the technical needs of their website. Without a wire frame, developers might spend weeks crafting a particular feature, only to realize that the expectations of the client were very different. A rough, page-by-page visual representation of your website will alleviate that issue.

Allows clients to visualize how many individual parts of a concept will harmonize early on

We often think about each aspect of a large project as a separate entity, without ever seeing how many unique parts will be woven together into a cohesive whole. Wire frames open up discussions allowing us to perform at our best as a creative agency, and allow you to make necessary changes while it's quick and easy.

Save time

As stated before, wire frames drastically reduce the chance for surprise. They also give design and development teams an established, agreed upon target – leaving them to focus on rapid execution.

Step 2 The Website Architecture

During the Discovery Phase for the development of a website, a sitemap and wire frames are developed. A sitemap maps the navigational structure of the site beginning with the home page and sub-level pages, and working down the hierarchy to each and every other required page or module of the site.

Following a completed sitemap, Lime Flies creates a detailed wire frame. The wire frame lays out each page of the site and incorporates the relevant content that will appear on each page. It also spells out the functionality of the site from each users' perspective including any administrators, moderators, registered users, and guests. It takes into consideration the usability and full user experience, and depicts the flow of the sites as it would be seen in each case.

We often compare information architecture to the construction of a house. You wouldn't build a house without an architectural drawing of the dimensions of the house. Without it, a carpenter wouldn't know how big the rooms were, where they belong in relation to the rest of the house and how the space was going to function. The wire frame provides a blueprint just as an Architect depicts the rooms in a drawing for a building, hence the name "information architecture". In our opinion, this is probably one of the most important and most overlooked steps in the process of developing a successful website.

Step 3 The Scope and Methodology

For each project, a Lime Flies Development project manager will manage the project, and will be available as a point of contact throughout the lifetime of the project. This individual will coordinate the efforts of the Senior Designers overseen by the Creative Director, and Technical Developers overseen by the Director of Technology.

Over the years, Lime Flies Development has developed and perfected an organized method for managing web development projects which is both efficient and fulfilling for its clients.

After contract negotiations which explicate the complete process are finalized, Lime Flies Development will analyze the company's visions for a website for example, and gather a proper idea of the objectives and provisions which the site will conform to. Through correspondence, a concept will be developed which is agreeable to the client. Lime Flies Development will then collect all relevant corporate imagery, and any design requirements or stylistic guides provided by, or developed in conjunction with the client. With these items, the design staff will draft all necessary high-level overview materials.

The designers will then construct the first set of design compositions. During this time, technical staff will be setting up any underlying framework and investigating any necessary software integrations.

The client will approve a design composition, and provide feedback and any necessary changes through a number of rounds of revisions. When the design is finalized, our developers will begin to transform the concept art into functional coded pages, as design staff will proceed through the same process for secondary-level designs.

Technical staff collaborative develops the backend framework and front-end implementation using Subversion repositories for revision control and file history. User facing code is section 508 compliant and adheres to the W3C guidelines for accessibility. Design implementations will be performed to fit a minimum monitor specification of a 1024 x 768 resolution.

Programming is thoroughly tested for both functionality and security throughout every stage of the development process. Before delivering any materials for the live site, our code goes through a final quality assurance phase. At key points in the development process, the client will be given access to Lime Flies Development housed development/staging servers; the client will be aware of the visual and technical direction and will revise and approve of the project's progression through designated revision rounds.

When Lime Flies Development has completed the project, prior to the launch date, the client will be trained on the functionality of the final product and any software with which they will have direct interaction. Lime Flies Development will be available for technical questions, which may arise both before and after the launch.