Importance of Brief in Web Design Process

There are few things that companies and entrepreneurs must do to expand their business, one of them is creating a new website that will attract new customers. However, web development and design is a specialized field and only the best people should be contracted to do this job.

In this article you will understand exactly what web design and development process is and what you need to do to before you hire some web site development company.

Why does web development take so long?

Building a professional looking web site is not a piece of cake nor will it happen overnight. Estimating the timeline and cost of building a new site is something that should be carefully looked at.

There are many clients who would go to a web developer and ask to make for them a pretty looking four page website with colorful pictures, some links, a shopping cart, checkout page, and contact us page, and expect the web development and design team to deliver a prototype in couple of days. Being a developer myself, I assure you that a fully functional professional looking eCommerce website would take between two to three months.

What is meant by Brief?

From the web development company perspective, the brief is believed to be first contact with the client or the project itself.

Why does brief hold so much importance?

Brief is important because all the future work and the end result is dependent on the discussions held here, which is why the clients must ensure the brief is most detailed and written in clear and easy language.

Another purpose of brief is to provide an exact project definition to the software consultancy company. It is the responsibility of the client to explain each and every detail of their business, their goals, and about their target audience.

For instance, the purpose of the website could be to excite a young visitor through its modern graphics and design. Or it could be designed for an average parent who is looking for no-nonsense e-shopping. Or its purpose could be just educational. It all depends on the client, what message he/she wants to deliver through the site.

The client also need to put forward any technical specifications with the help of the software development service provider. This may contain information such as what type of browser or resolution their website should be optimized for, or what type of mobile version they required?

Also during the brief, the client can present the content and resources that will be available to the agency during the rest of the process. Resources can include fonts, images, while content can include anything from product descriptions to articles, videos and so on.

Once all of this information is gathered, the website development company can decide on matters like project deadline, various milestones, deadlines and the total cost or budget allocated for the project.

What Comes Next?

Planning Phase

The planning phase of the project starts as soon as all the information is gathered by the website development company from the client.

In this step, various ideas and concepts will be generated. This is usually achieved through brainstorming sessions by the team of web designers. It is mandatory that these concepts coincide with the specifications provided by the client.

Conclusion

In conclusion, let me again emphasize the importance of brief by saying that no project can be termed successful without it. Even if the brief is done poorly or some parts are left unintentionally, it can harm your final output, and as a result the total cost of web development increases.