Rome Wasn’t Built In a Day: Launching in Phases

A web design project can be a daunting task. You may have many business problems you need to solve with your website. Add in the fact that it can seem as though you and your web designer speak a different language, and it may seem like your website will never be finished.

Guess what: it won’t ever be finished. The web is a living, breathing entity that constantly shifts and evolves to meet its own needs and adapt to its environment. Therefore you can’t think of your website as a static “thing” that needs to be “finished.”

For a major web design project, it is preferable and more realistic to think and plan in phases. You may be undertaking a major overhaul that involves many complicated new elements to your website. A small tweak here or there can cause a problem elsewhere. Phasing your launch can help ensure that each new set of features works properly and doesn’t wreak havoc on those already in place.

I often compare designing a website to building a house: you can’t pick the color of the curtains until you’ve poured the foundation. Concentrate on the immediate task or tasks at hand, and plan according to a logical progression of steps.

The first phase is usually the aesthetic phase: the information architecture and the visual look and feel. Phase two often involves the more complex elements like e-commerce and database tie-ins. Sometimes there are even three or four phases. As each phase is completed, site visitors are gradually eased into the features and processes of your site.

When sitting down for initial planning meetings with your web designer, make sure they are helping you properly assess your needs, and don’t be afraid to launch in phases.