Our Process

Our process relies heavily on an outcome-based approach, which in turn, relies on solid research, a clear understanding of our client’s goals, and the application of metrics and analytics. We make a very complicated process easy, so our clients can focus on the most important goals of using the Web for marketing communications.

Where do I start?

Research

Research is the foundation of every Web Group project. We adhere to a research-before-development model that allows our team to create a development strategy based on client need, set measurable goals based on audience demographics, and implement a successful development plan that yields desired results. If research does not exist for a particular project, we develop a plan to obtain research. For example, we have created partnerships with outside vendors, conducted focus groups, and interviewed clients.

Information Architecture and Content Strategy

Over the course of developing several large websites for campus clients, the Web Group has learned that a vision for content organization and navigation should precede visual design. Our content team follows industry standards for information architecture (IA), the framework that holds a website together. Information architecture is always an outgrowth of research and strategy and determines user paths to content, naming conventions, and priority of messaging.

A proposed IA and wireframe is presented to the client and revised according to feedback. When the IA and wireframe are approved by the client, our team works with the client to determine a content strategy that includes writing assignments, multimedia needs, and an editorial calendar. When the content plan is approved, we move into the creative phase of the design process.

Creative

The Web Group creative process is iterative. Visual design relies upon cues documented in the IA and wireframe. Our creative team follows those cues and then provides one to three homepage concepts that give stunning visual impact to the messages we’ve developed during the content development process. These concepts are presented to our clients, who choose one that they want to implement. The concept is then revised according to content needs, user feedback, client feedback, and alignment with research. Once the homepage design is approved, mock-ups for subpage(s) are created. These, too, are subject to client and user feedback and revised as necessary.

Contact the Web Group to get started.

How are websites built by the Web Group?

Development

The Web Group uses rapid prototyping for developing custom applications. Prototypes may not include all aspects of a finished product, but they can be developed quickly, tested, then further developed if testing validates. This process allows for large-scale projects to be split into smaller, more manageable pieces so that the Web Group can control the growth, testing, and maturation of the project. It also enables us to build, test, and revise quickly. As new technologies and programming languages have emerged in the industry, the Web Group has been quick to adapt to new methods. We adopted a rapid-development environment nearly three years ago, which has been strengthened by our use of Ruby on Rails technology. We were the first to test this new method at the University, and are active and influential in the Web developer community. Our process is best illustrated by the creation and use of our website management application, Conductor.

Conductor allows us to frame a website’s information architecture and begin migrating content prior to or concurrent with the creative process. Large-scale websites can be framed in days as the design and content teams work in parallel. Our process has decreased our delivery time significantly, and it provides a rapid-development environment for both client and agency. Before Conductor, building templates, file structures, and naming conventions took weeks. Now, this same process takes days, and allows time and attention to be devoted to more provocative areas of development, such as custom applications, video, etc.

Testing

The Web Group follows accepted Web standards for the creation of all websites at Notre Dame. As such, we follow a rigorous testing process that includes third-party verification in multiple browsers, operating systems, and bandwidths. The Web Group also conducts beta testing with users and administrators of websites during large-scale interface development. We are committed to learning from ongoing focus groups and have coordinated video-recorded screen-capture studies, as exemplified by our testing of nd.edu. Results from testing enable us to either validate the product or help us decide what to correct.

How will we maintain our website?

Content/Website Management Systems (CMS)

Conductor is a Web-based website management application that enables non-technical users to perform content updates to their websites from anywhere. Conductor was designed and developed by the Web Group as a service we provide to clients. It serves the needs of the majority of Web projects on campus without restricting design.

The result is a flexible, powerful system for creating and managing website content. As a Web-based application, there is no software to purchase, nothing to install, and no server connections to manage. And because it ties into Notre Dame’s authentication system, users can log in with their own netIDs and passwords.

With whom will I work?

Project Management

The Web Group employs industry-standard agency methods for managing projects. Each project is assigned a project manager who coordinates all internal aspects of the project, from project estimate to post-deployment maintenance and support. This person manages all communication between the project team and our Client Relationship Leader.

Client Feedback and Change Orders

Clients are assigned a Client Relationship Leader (CRL) from the Web Group. This person will act as the single point of contact during the project and beyond. All feedback, change orders, and communications are handled by the CRL, who provides a constant and high level of support. The CRL also works with the project manager to ensure efficient communication among all members of the project team. At any point during the assignment, the CRL can produce work-to-date, schedule, and other real-time reports. Clients are asked to give feedback and approve change orders at each project milestone.

What happens when we are ready to go “live”?

Deployment

We have deployed dozens of websites at Notre Dame, some hosted internally and others externally. The Web Group works closely with the OIT to ensure that proper backup, testing, and deployment procedures are followed. We understand Notre Dame’s processes for domain name (alias) acquisition, Web analytics creation, database tables structuring, and file naming conventions, and can deploy websites nearly instantaneously. In many cases, we deploy using Conductor, which facilitates the implementation of these elements.

Does the Web Group charge for its services?

Invoicing/Payment Structure

The Web Group bills at the completion of the project. This typically occurs immediately following website deployment, using the Notre Dame FOAPAL system. We track all of our time in a custom-built agency traffic system named TINYe. Hours are logged continually against the estimate for the project, allowing the project manager to perform “health checks,” monitoring progress and checking budget status at least once each week. At any point in the process, the client can request a report of hours billed to date.